akalra1187

What's below the spinal cord and where gas can come from?

HMPS

+1
Well said. There are some very vocal fliers who believe the opposite !

Guvner067

The gas tank?

l etoile

Moderator note: I removed a few posts on this thread as they began to drift into discussing other members instead of the issues. Please be respectful of fellow members.

l'etoile
sr moderator

RealityBites

I get that you don't like them but all of the ME3 carriers are starting down the same track of monetising a bunch of formerly free service components, so any suggestion that EY is not a serious or proper airline is really quite silly. @:-)

Dogmatick

+1

Dogmatick

The truth of the matter is that the ME3 are racing to be like the Western European airlines whilst the Western European airlines are racing to be like Ryanair or Norwegian, essentially a transport company

Etihad is trying to recoup its losses in the shortest amount of time with great potential damage to its reputation.

We didn't go on and on about being 5 Star SkyTrax and the world's best F and J and this and that product but they did - over and over and over again. Then there were the incessant emails of which awards they had won (bought) etc etc

That is the airline most here began to fly with and feel that much of what they hyped has been lost, they built this all up themselves and it is profitable.

They lost a LOT of money on the investments into failing airlines and it is this loss that they are cutting services for and being very short termist/sighted about as they'll lose a lot of good revenue frequent flyers who likely travel on fully flexible (read expensive) J and F tickets for business.

Yes it is far better than BA but that's for wholly different reasons, not least that they're based out of the UK with UK unions and a civil service legacy with all the extra costs that they bring.

For a leisure traveller such as the OP if his flights all went smoothly (no need to invoke ground services for lost baggage etc) then absolutely it would be a great experience as a one off and I'm really happy that he feels this way as EY is fundamentally a good airline, but the thing is that they still boast of being an excellent one.

lightyear40

akalra1187

Not to mention EK, whilst I left EK three years ago for the bus like feeling in J (huge A380 cabin, impersonal service) and loved EY back then, with dine on demand, full service lounges with inclusive spa and a la carte, better and less 'Indian' food, free shaves clothes pressing and showers on arrival at AUH. Slowly but surely everything that gave EY the edge went away, even many crew try to serve everyone at once and ignore dine on demand.
I fly a fair bit of F too although different issues, EY are IMO lagging here too; to get rid of chauffeur service in F is just a bit much. They already don't serve caviar like EK, CX and SQ. I wonder how much added value they are giving to the admittedly larger seat, but doesn't offer that much more comfort than EK, SQ or CX. The Apartment is impressive the first time, but going back to F seats on EK, CX, and SQ you realise they are just as comfortable and the better food and wines do add quite a bit to the experience more so than space you're not really using.
Back to EK, the seat padding which used to be an issue seems to be better now, the onboard bar does make the flight go quicker, and Hennessy XO in J is quite a nice end to a meal.
Small things but a Bulgari amenity kit is just more fitting of a premium product than the weird nylon bags EY give in J. The wines are better on EK and the food seems to be less of a full on Indian meal every time than it was three years ago. Oh and chauffeur service doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

cairns

Thanks for that post. The wife and I are going to Perth on Etihad this winter flying J (from IAD) and are really looking forward to it. I've never flown them before so we'll see.

FWIW I'm almost a million mile UAL flyer, and have spent time on many other airlines including BA, Emirates, QANTAS, AA, ANA, Southwest etc. Sometimes I think all the .....ing on here is a bit beyond the pale. If you have an issue have at it but if you really don't like an airline don't fly them- they're all offering the level of service and amenities that they think will make them $ and keep their customers happy. Etihad has apparently dropped some amenities (they're losing how much every year?) but others have as well. I would happily give up chauffeur service for a ticket that was thousands less.

We choose Etihad based on the perceived level of service, the schedule and the price. Emirates (a great airline we both love) cost a lot more and had a schedule that was ridiculous. UAL also cost more, took longer and also had a schedule that was going to cost us days. I don't think I need mention their level of service or "food". QATAR/AA were roughly equal and QANTAS wanted even more than Emirates (no chauffeur there either).

As I'm an F1 buff the chance to spend a few days in Abu Dhabi driving the Yas Marina circuit, visiting Ferrariworld etc. was the icing on the cake. I'm pretty sure we'll really like Etihad but will let everyone know.

akalra1187

The point is those of us who are critical of Etihad are not denying that Etihad is a good airline; the point is that Flyertalk is a very public forum and it's a well known fact that most airline executives have an idea of the buzz on this forum.
From a consumer perspective Etihad has cut some key differential factors.
If executives think that consumers don't care about the cuts what do you think will happen? More cuts what else. If the consensus is that we are not happy with the cuts we might see some resurrection. As a consumer what do you want? Chauffeur or no chauffeur? Dine on demand or not? Spa for free in the lounge or no spa at all? Cocktails in the lounge or none? Free shave and clothes pressing on arrival or not? A la carte dining in the lounge or not?

thbe

I think, that you can compare ME3 carriers with European carriers. And it's simply not true, that ME3 get the first places, followed by European carriers.

Yes, EY offers quite a good business class, especially for single passengers (1-2-1 seating). And yes, BA has too often serious problems with their product and service.

Of course EY has some problems. As with all ME3 carriers, there is no irrop handling and the status recognition is bad. The cost cuttings of the last months make EY less attractive as before.

But the OP had no irrop, no EY status and doesn't compare today's EY with the EY 2 years ago. So from my point of view his review is reasonable.

Dogmatick

Agree wholeheartedly there.

With regard to your post, if Etihad had cut prices to match dropping services then you'd find less of a gripe. But prices, sadly, went up not down ! I still find them to be a lot cheaper than EK though but maybe it's just how I use the itineraries as I seem alone on this.

akalra1187

That's the thing Etihad have raised prices not dropped and besides if I wanted to find a cheap fare, BA or perhaps LH, AF and other Europe airlines would be my first port of call not Etihad.
EK can be cheaper than Etihad, just as an example quickly compare business class fares from London to the UAE in September and you will see.

SeeBuyFly

After reading all this complaining within the last few months, I flew EY out and back in the last 2 weeks and found the in-flight experience much the same as always.

J food is neither great nor bad; in-flight service can be excellent or poor, depending on the individual staff, as always. Flights were on time. Luggage arrived safely (OK, they broke the collapsible handle, but they sent a repair service to pick it up and return it fully repaired). What else could one want?

I agree that the OP's comparison to BA, while appropriate for someone living in the UK, is not a high enough standard for the rest of us. On EY my water bottles are replaced as I finish them, without asking. On BA I once asked for a second bottle of water and was made to feel like Oliver Twist.