stargold

Well it seems you have won, as you have successfully managed to pollute the thread about the existence of a Residence section at the CDG lounge with your personal crusade regarding the meaning of the word "customer" (as well as other ancillary issues which have nothing to do with the topic at hand). Kudos.

As for your second sentence,

akalra1187

The demise of Etihad;

First they forget their best customers (EY Guest Gold/Platinum).
Then they cut costs to their highest paying customers (Residence).
Eventually they start loosing customers.

It's more than relevant, given the current attitude of Etihad towards customer, there will unlikely be a Residence lounge in CDG with the current mindset.

irishguy28

You are missing the point that the OP "has chose" to fly from either LHR or CDG so they are letting something trivial make the choice for them.

(But pehaps you also think that the presence/absence of a "Residence room" is important, but if schedule/price isn't important, and if having to undertake separate travel to get to a different departure point is also not important, then I really don't understand your logic).

And for someone that "has chose" the Residence, flights from Paris to the UAE are anything but abundant. The A380 is not currently rostered on the route, according to Etihad's timetable.

irishguy28

Paris would need to be a year-round A380 destination - not just a summer seasonal partial A380 destination - before they would do that.

Airlines aren't the only ones with "mindsets", by the way!

amnicoll

Etihad need to focus back on the customer full stop. True they might start with the loyal customers

akalra1187

Don't get your point in the first part of your post at all. My previous point in other words is that if price or schedule was important to the OP they could fly Air France to AUH or DXB or Etihads other 777 flight to AUH, or EK or even with a short connection BA, LX, LH, AZ, TK, and many many others. If they've chosen EY and in Residence class I doubt the schedule of price were the defining factors. This is what I illustrated in my point before also; so I don't know what you mean, and I don't recall the OP ever saying flying from LHR was an option.

More importantly, I wonder who the operater of the first leg of the third itinerary you've displayed below is? Etihad flight 2885 from CDG to FCO? Alitalia? A partner airline perhaps? A quick search displays AZ325 as the original identifier of the code-share flight which Etihad are selling...

irishguy28

But you introduced the limitation of the passenger that "has chose" to fly The Residence, so all of that is inconsequential.

Then look at the very first line of the very first post:

"Deciding whether to start my EY Residence trip ex-LHR or ex-CDG."

LHR and CDG are the only points in Europe that have the Residence scheduled.

From LHR, the Residence flies 3 times a day, every day, year round [subject to any last-minute aircraft substitutions].

From CDG, the Residence will fly once a day, from July to October only [subject to any last-minute aircraft substitutions].

Therefore, for the passenger that "has chose" to fly the Residence, they will find that their options for a CDG departure are far more restrictive than for an LHR departure.

Yet - the only thing that concerns the OP who has indicated a willingness to reposition to either of LHR or CDG for this experience is, apparently, whether or not a special area will be set aside in the CDG lounge.

Indeed. And if you bought such a ticket, you would be an Etihad passenger entitled to the Etihad lounge at LHR.

(Etihad have decided to bar all low-yielding shorthaul-only AZ pax from the EY lounge, to offer their own passengers a less crowded atmosphere in the Eithad lounge).

akalra1187

Not meaning to be rude, but I'm not ignoring the first part of your reply, it just seems like jargon to me. Someone choosing The Residence will very likely appreciate small details, such as the private room/lounge, and fine Champagnes, bath amenities, caviar, double bed, double sofa on board, etc. over schedule or price end of. No two ways about that, I don't see how you can possibly argue that someone chose a Residence flight for the time of departure as the No.1 priority.

Admittedly I did not see that LHR was an option for the OP, apologies.

With regard to the second part, what I was told when I was in LHR is that if I was flying AZ metal on the sector leaving LHR, I was not eligible. I did specifically ask.

What you are saying (codeshare flights, bought through Etihad and ticketed through to AUH on at least an EY metal connection are eligible for entry) does seem fair, but its not even the case.

Dogmatick

Hey akalra1187, just a question, how come you haven't mentioned that http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/etiha...-suitcase.html in this thread as well ?

You 'have chose' to be a customer of theirs so surely they should fix it ?

akalra1187

Airlines mishandling baggage isn't exclusive to Etihad; of course they should fix it, but it is something I have to take up with them directly.

Cutting services in lounges, and access to them, despite spending a lot of money to set them up does seem to be exclusive to the 'brains' behind Etihad.

- Cocktails removed from US lounges, never introduced in European lounges.

- A la carte dining removed from US lounges, during my last visit to the LHR lounge the menu was no longer actively offered. You had to ask for it.

- There was a time when Business class passengers/ Silver and above Etihad guest members got free spa treatments in the LHR lounge, not anymore.

- Huge reduction in selection of dishes in AUH Business lounge T3.

- Huge reduction in a la carte menu of F lounge in AUH T3.

- Reduction in spirits selection in AUH F lounge.

- Reduction in selection of free cigars in AUH.

- Used to be 1x Spa treatment and 1x Barber/Nails treatment complimentary in AUH F lounge when it first opened, now its one or the other.

- Caviar totally eliminated from F service, they used to have it on some routes.

- Changes to access rules to lounges for Etihad Guest members.

Keep it up Etihad ^

As for linking my old thread. I'm sure you enjoy having your belongings abused.

mike84k

Talked to someone at EY and apparently starting march 18 its all year round

irishguy28

It's just English.

The whole premise of this thread is that the OP wants to travel on the Residence. As such, s/he has correctly determined that the only options to do so are to depart from LHR (on any of the 3 daily A380s) or from CDG (on one of two daily flights, but only between July and October next).

Therefore, for you to argue about the "abundance of options" to get to the UAE, and to talk of all the non-Etihad options, is a total non-starter.

The OP has decided to travel the Residence. And, having done so, the only thing on which they are now going to base their decision on where to fly from is on whether there is a corner of a lounge roped-off for his/her exclusive use!!!.

Seriously?

The OP is opining on whether to depart from CDG or LHR on the basis of a "room" in the LOUNGE!!!

As you have eloquently put it, the Residence is all about things other than whether there is a roped-off corner in the Paris lounge.

You might think schedule and price are not things that should sway a "customer" who "has chose" The Residence - but my point is that whether or not there is a corner of a lounge roped off for Residence customers is the worst possible thing to decide this trip upon.

Come back and state that again when you are turned away from the EY lounge at LHR holding an Etihad (NOT Alitalia) ticket.

amnicoll

Not surprised that OP has ducked out of this conversation

burg_rtw

Of course the OP has not come back to the discussion... people completely turned the original topic to a pointless debate that has nothing to do with the OP question.

Well ... in the spirit of trying to help: at CDG, yes, there will be a separate area within the First & Business lounge that will be dedicated to Residence guests. I understand it will not be enclosed in a private room such as in LHR, but there will be indeed differentiated service.

I also side with those (few) that understood the question. If that's what makes one's fancy, it is a valid point to take into consideration when chosing how to go about the trip.

Cheers,
B

akalra1187

Exactly and that's my point, if the OP cares about having a room to themselves that's their prerogative.
I think it's odd to impose your opinion of what should be important to people.