[Gwennix]

I flew with Etihad Airways for a return trip Sydney-Paris last August.
I had to extend my stay in France and called Etihad Call Centre as soon as I knew my new return date in order to modify it.
The operator I talked to changed my return flight (as well as my daughter’s) without any issues. However she explained to me that she could not advise me of the cost of this modification as she first needed to contact Etihad Sydney Office and therefore asked me to call back 2 hours later to get the pricing.
I then called back as per her advice but she was still unable to provide me with the cost of this date modification.
For the next 24 hours, I called Etihad every 2 hours (as advised each time by the operator), I talked to numerous operators including 3 different managers but no one could give me the pricing of the date modification which had been, however, confirmed and recorded in the system (according to the operators).
I was even advised to call my Travel Agent (based in Sydney, Australia) meaning that I had to get up in the middle of the night (as there were then 8 hours time difference between France and Australia).
At each call to Etihad Call Centre, I was advised that Etihad Sydney Office had yet to confirm the pricing.
However each manager (from Etihad Call Centre) I talked to tried to give me an estimate of the cost: this estimate varied several times from AU$870 to AU$1600!
This non sense lasted for a few days: it seemed impossible to get official information from Etihad regardless whom I was talking to.
After a week I was told that I had to go to Etihad Paris Office to sort it out as Etihad could only do this type of operation (we are talking here about a simple flight date modification) face to face!
This was not only unbelievable but also impossible as, although in France, I was at that time at 800km from Paris.
Eventually while calling Etihad Call Centre for the n<SUP>th</SUP> time, I contacted (by mistake) Etihad Paris Office and the agent I talked to agreed to look at my case, although “it was not the normal process” (so far the “normal process” had not got me anywhere).
For the next 3 weeks, I called Etihad Paris Office every day or every second day in order to check on the progress and hopefully finally get this pricing (as well as a written confirmation of my new return itinerary).
Eventually , 3.5 weeks after my initial phone call to Etihad Call Centre, I got a verbal confirmation, from Etihad Paris Office, of the pricing and received an email with my new itinerary.
However the agent advised me that both tickets (my daughter’s and mine) were still to be issued: but she guaranteed me that everything will be done and sorted before my flight (scheduled 4 days later).
4 days later (i.e. 4 full weeks after my initial phone call to Etihad), I arrived at Paris CDG Airport and proceeded to Etihad Ticketing Office to pay the outstanding amount (for the date my modification) and get the new tickets.
Nothing had been done: the tickets were not issued and it took 3.5 hours before I could get the boarding passes Paris-Abu Dhabi.
It took so long that I had to be escorted to the gate in order to get on time to boarding!
I waited some more at the gate as Etihad ground agents could not issue the boarding passes Abu Dhabi –Sydney. Eventually I had to board the plane without the boarding passes Abu Dhabi –Sydney and was advised that they will be ready for me at Abu Dhabi Transfer Desk.
Etihad had not been able to provide me with tickets in 4 weeks, so I was not very confident, to say the least, they could provide boarding passes in 7 hours!
I did get the boarding passes Abu Dhabi –Sydney at Abu Dhabi Transfer Desk and could finally fly home with my daughter.
To summarise, it took 4 weeks to Etihad Airways to modify 2 return tickets and they could not even get it all sorted before the flight!!!
It took countless of phone calls and discussions to both Etihad Call Centre and Etihad Paris Office. I even had to contact Sydney myself.
This situation was not only grotesque but also stressful, as, honestly, it did look like I would not be able to fly home with Etihad.
4 weeks of transactions and we still boarded the flight without all the required boarding passes to reach our final destination!
And I will not even mention the stress and inconvenience to wait 3.5 hours at Paris CDG Airport, run through Abu Dhabi Airport to get the boarding passes (note that we only had one hour stop over) with a 16 month old baby!
I travel regularly internationally and have been for years.
Yet I could never imagine such poor service and disorganisation. How can it take 4 weeks to modify a ticket? How is it even possible?
What if I had delayed my return flight by a week (instead of 4)?
Overall, the service I received from Etihad Airways has been appalling and highly incompetent. Not only in regards with the ticket issuing but also on board.
I was travelling on my own with a 16 month old baby and received no support whatsoever from the crew not even when my daughter was seriously sick on the plane (Sydney-Abu Dhabi).
On another flight (Abu Dhabi- Sydney), although the plane was not full, the crew refused to organise a seat for my daughter. We eventually managed to get her a seat next to me thanks to helpful passengers who accepted to swap seats.
My seat was disgusting as someone had been sick and obviously the plane had not been cleaned up.
I had to clean it myself and received no help from the crew.
This whole story is highly disappointing. I don’t know what “Customer Service” means for Etihad Airways but in my own experience, it was non existent.
Note that upon my return in Australia, I posted a formal complaint to Etihad: the only compenstation they were willing to offer was a few airpoints with their Frequet Flyer scheme ... nothing more. As if I was planning to fly with them again!
I obviously refused the offer as I have no intention to fly Etihad again.
To date, they have not provided me with any other type of compensation.