[Thomsonmathew]

My wife & kid were to board a flight on Aug 9th from Washington DC to Abu Dhabi and then from there to Kochi, India. Apparently everything went smooth until they were seated in the flight seat . Baby developed a unexpected temparature and the medical team assessed they need to be offloaded. It was quick and efficient but what followed next was very unprofessional. My wife and 10 month old kid were stranded in the airport with no support staff and also no assurance whatsoever on when they can board on the next flight. The general practice as i have seen in most airlines is to help the customer through this unexpected scenario by offering some sought of future dated ticket etcetera but in your case they got a cold response - ' please reach out to your agent since they booked we cant do anything'. And they all left...

We called the Etihad customer care that very midnight and they gave the very same response. Not only were my wife and kid deplaned but also treated unprofessionally with no guidance on the future course of action. And incidently we have no Etihad representative in Dulles Airport (Washington DC) to directly reach out. The customer care is very cold with their response too. Now the agent is trying to rebook the ticket and they have no information on their website to indicate why the flight ticket was cancelled - is it customer's fault or airlines decision? whatever it is shouldnt it be updated in the system? I called the customer care today asking to make an update in the system with the reason for cancellation so that i can plan the next course of action but his response shocked me - "how can I trust you on the reason why your wife & kid were off loaded? " . Literally he was asking me for proof while declining to update the system more so it should be the airlines responsibility to update the system and maintain records not the customer.

Now my wife and kid are stranded here in USA waiting for her fever ( which we checked with doctor today and was due to an ear infection ) to subside and for a ticket when they can travel. I am also scheduled to travel with Etihad in Nov while we all return together in Dec 31. Hope you understand we have things at stake here and you have a reputation to protect. I am asking for humane considerations here and urgency in solving the problems of the customer atleast close if not matching the urgency shown to offload them. I have reached out to my agent and they are saying they are helpless and want me to pay the cancellation fee (250$) + the difference for the new flight charge. I simply find this unbelievable - my wife was told while offloading that a ticket on a different date will be given without any additional charge. I am only expecting Etihad to stand up to its ethical values and positive customer care experiences i have highly heard before. I hope to hear back a positive response from Etihad Airways.

I have sent this note to "feedback@etihad.ae" <feedback@etihad.ae> but no response still. I need your help to handle this issue.

Regards,
First Time Customer.