[jeethjohnp]

Well, recently I had travelled by Etihad from sydney to cochin via abu dhabi. I knw that the route is kind of weird ..but it was an emergency situation and this was the only ticket i got.....therefore i had 16 hr transit at abu dhabi international airport....
In the hurry i forgot to mention to my travel agent to fix me up with an accomation option at abu dhabi...so when i am not going pick etihad on that...that was my mistake...
but when i heard they dnt offer any food vouchers, i was too angry to respond....In dubai, when i had a stop-over for even 3 hrs I had got food coupons.....Aftr this incident I am seriously considering whether etihad belongs to the same country as UAE....frankly this is not customer-oriented service that they are providing....this is a type of anarchist behaviour.....customers should follow suit what the airways decide on...thts brilliant customer service!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
anyways i am posting a detailed repot in my blog.....and I am gng to advice all my friends to avoid etihad by all chances...they may be cheap but the service is bad...very bad...
I am going to quote the same thing for all the people that ask for advice to me regarding theri travel plans....via etihad.....
Regards
Jeeth

[mars6423]

most airlines wont give you a food vouchar while your waiting for your connecting flight, they will most likelt only provide them if the plane is delayed or some sort of problem

[PHXFlyer]

mars - I don't think the "16 hour transit" was the result of a delay. The way I read it was the OP's itinerary just happened to include a 16 hour layover for which he "forgot to mention to my travel agent to fix me up with an accomation(sic) option at abu dhabi."

Why would you expect any airline to provide you with food vouchers simply because a long layover was built into your itinerary? That's just absurd.

[mars6423]

i didnt think it was from a delay, i was trying to say that people wont get a food vouchar just because they have a long transfer period

airlines would give out food vouchars for a delay or some other problem in which caused inconveniance

i also read that the passenger had the 16hour transfer on his own accord due to the route and ticket he brought

[PHXFlyer]

sorry, I guess I mis-read your post.

[Silent Bob]

Ya I don't know of any airline that gives you vouchers because you are in transit, especially one that's so long. The OP definitely should have taken care of his own provisions. I mean basically you want to boycott Etihad because they won't give you vouchers on a 16 hour lay over that you booked? Come on!

[Etihad Representative]

Really?

You don't complain about the fact that on a 16hr layover, Etihad don't hotel accomodate you, but you are willing to boycott for a $10 meal voucher ?!?

The world really has gone a little crazy!

[PHXFlyer]

Cazzi, the long layover was due to the passenger's itinerary. There was no mention of any irregular operations. If I had such a long layover in Dubai I would have obtained a visa and visited the city. I'm not even sure that US citizens need a visa in the UAE.

[Etihad Representative]

Hi PHX,

I read the thread before posting and kinda got that there were no special circumstances That's why it was even more unbelievable really!

US Citizens can obtain visa upon arrival into both Dubai and Abu Dhabi at no charge, they last 30 days. If I were the OP I would have done that too, as Dubai and Abu Dhabi are both cities that need to be seen to be believed! Obviously bags would have to be re-checked for an onward connections, however it's well worth it!

Etihad have a number of "long" layovers, and hotel accomodation is not offered on all of them (This being one it seems) ... However I suppose the fare price (though it shouldn't IMO) reflects that.

BTW ... Although I am VERY late in saying, It's nice to have you back ... Although I am not a "mega poster" I do read this site ALOT, and did miss your opinions somewhat ...

[Corbel]

why should the airline give you a meal voucher for a transit?? mechanical delay...ok, but this was not. this was the ticket you bought. if you had a 16 hour connection time with any other airline ANYWHERE they wouldn't give you a food voucher. what kind of complaint is this??!?!?!

[Jetliner]

Originally Posted by jeethjohnp

In dubai, when i had a stop-over for even 3 hrs I had got food coupons

I don't buy this.

[geminidreams]

Most good airlines that has a transit of that length will provide a hotel room and meals free of charge.