Originally Posted by
tridentnyc
This has been my point exactly all along. My wife and I have traveled extensively and have flown many carriers long haul in their first class cabins. Some carriers are better than others, in this case I'd say Cathay is WAY better than EY or 9W or...ummm...hmmm. See? Even a month after my flights with EY (9W) I still don't know "who" I flew with! I'm gonna say EY as it was an EY issued ticket, out of EY's terminal in AUH, with a menu printed with EY letterhead...my cabin was stocked with EY bedding etc. etc.
The crew however was clearly 9W from their uniforms and the fact that they were wearing dual badges on their chests...one for EY and one for 9W.
These flights were to be "wholly operated" (except for the metal) according to EY customer service and this was NOT the case. I really feel like I was duped or the victim of a "bait and switch" I know this is a VERY first world problem and using a word like "victim" is a bit ridiculous but I'm disappointed in EY and felt like I was misled.
Will you have an enjoyable flight? I'm sure you will as the seats are comfortable and the cabin is great. Just hope that they serve you something other than a menu with almost 100% Indian options on a flight that departs at 2:00 am. Oh I forgot, you can always request the "whipped eggs" if you don't feel like having nothing but Indian for 13 hours.
By the way, according to EY customer service, flights 102 & 103 will be flown, serviced etc. wholly by 9W starting today, May 1st, so at least the pretense of these being EY flights will go away. From today forward they should be considered simply code share flights.
I actually took this flight (102) on May 1st - and it was still operated by Etihad (Etihad bedding, Etihad menus, though I didn't notice the uniforms). I also liked the plane (business class) better than the flight back (101). There seemed to be more bathrooms, more comfortable seat layout, etc. Also, even though the online system wouldn't let me book a Chauffeur through the site, technically since it was operated by Etihad I was able to get a car to my hotel at the Chauffeur desk in Abu Dhabi. My experience with the service on the plane seemed about equivalent on both (very good). My experience with Etihad in general off the plane, though, was not what I was expecting/hoping for.