tommy123

Yep the £1-50 salvation army walking stick is still alive and kicking , probably a lot heathier than some of the arriving Pakistan International passengers , who to be honest resembled the future cast of the Living Dead

Danwriter

When does it ever?

dddc

Wow. That's really bad for an international airline!! I read this puff piece and added a comment, but they are moderated so of course they didn't publish it!! Can't believe they charge for mid flight snacks, including coffee! That really is abysmal and once word gets out I think people will avoid Etihad.

I thought they had gone like Qantas who have also got rid of the salads in favour of a larger main meal, and they are a bit larger. I made the mistake with my choice and was bored with it by the end. BRING BACK THE SALAD!! But even from the pictures, the meal sizes looked small. I had more than that when I was in hospital!!

Looking at Airlinemeals.net, no one has sent a picture in since the middle of last year. Shame.

amnicoll

The really sad thing about all of this is that the airline does not see that it is creating a downward spiral and will need to spend heavily to continually attract new customers to replace their user base as loyal customers go elsewhere and first timers do not book again

tommy123

There are a couple of positives that have arisen from this for those that travel mostly in Y. Firstly for golds and plats, eat as much as possible in the lounge before boarding , therefore avoiding the new pathetic menu . Secondly , especially if your flying in and out of Heathrow , Etihad have put on extra flights , using Jet slots , now adding two 787's right after their morning and evening A380's departure.....My flight out of LHR nine days ago was empty , so how they think their going to fill extra 787's is baffling . So the added enhancement now is , you won't have to pre- pay for special seats , you will be able to pick your own row on boarding . ....So for the time being , keep cutting corners Etihad , loose further customers , for some of us , there is an advantage ......And for those of us in Y that enjoy a little tipple on board , buy a bottle in duty free and pour a bit in a hip flask , avoiding being charged on board , another issue solved

amnicoll

How many of the non budget airlines charge for drinks on long haul?

of course you are in the know Tommy but most first time users would only find out the hard way

very telling that the plane was empty only goes to show the folly of their approach. Wonder how long it will be before you are the only passenger

tommy123

Spending most of my time in Asia now , I can only think of Air A s__t. Domesticly in Thailand , Thai smile , Nok , Thai lion and Viet jet all provide some sort of snack and refreshment free of charge ( and there the budget airlines ) , with Thai smile leaps and bounds above the rest

amnicoll

I did say long haul very common these days even in Europe to get no free refreshments in economy on short haul

yes agree Thai Smile is the best by far and they have just announced new interlining arrangements with the Star Alliance group

tommy123

That would be nice , a whole cabin to myself ....On a more serious note , having been gold now for 10 years , both Amnicoll and myself have witnessed a great boutique airline , trying hard to flex it's wings and become a major player , but due to bad purchases , and stake building in failing airlines ( the brainwave of James Hogan , who has just about brought down every airline he has been involved in ) Etihad has fallen flat on its face . I too agree with Amnicoll that all these cutbacks ( enhancement's ) are forcing people to choose a more appropriate airline to serve their needs . I've had the pleasure of first twice on the A340's over the years and numerous upgrades from Y to J on the 777's , but they appear to have dried up now , due to low capacity , but one thing I have learnt recently is every enhancement they have imposed , I've found away round it ......I can't reveal to much on this thread , because I know Etihad employees do read it , but if someone was to private message my , once I was satisfied they were not an Etihad employee , I would be happy to share my experiences with them......As regarding new customers , I think the word gets around very quick now , as an airline to avoid ....The internet in a wonderful thing

tommy123

We should turn this into the Tommy - Amnicoll thread ....sorry didn't read it properly ......I can't think of any long haul carrier that charges , only of course Air A s__t X , I've never had the pleasure for that reason

eddibabyyeah

If EY turn into a budget airline then that is fine. Budget airlines align their prices to match the product. But, EY seem to have increased prices and decreased service. People will put up with a RYANAIR type airline if the prices matched the service. But this doesnt seem to be happening wit Etihad.

Dubh

Came back to AUH from a trip to Amsterdam on Monday. Flew BA again this time, in WT+. Etihad was nearly 40% more expensive once you had picked an economy legroom seat etc etc. I think you are right, it is actually getting more and more expensive.
The major difference for me at this stage is that I can pick and choose where I sit on BA as Gold. I have no choice whatsoever on EY as Platinum.

ft101

They know they won't fill them, but if they don't use the slots they lose them. They are just buying time to sell them.

amnicoll

Could be interesting because you stayed loyal whereas I did not

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

wow! That certainly is some puff piece!!