Trip Report: Etihad Airways, New York to Abu Dhabi; Abu Dhabi to Dallas (July, August 2017)

Trip Report: Etihad Airways
New York to Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi to Dallas

comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

Recently, Etihad announced it was cancelling its Abu Dhabi to Dallas flights.  Earlier this year, in late summer, I had the opportunity to fly this route.  My entire Etihad entire included New York to Abu Dhabi on the outbound, and Abu Dhabi to Dallas on the return.  The outbound sector was operated by an Airbus A380 while the return was operated by an Boeing 777.  I have flown Etihad before (ADD LINK HERE) and it has not been a good experience.  If possible, I try to avoid flying Etihad but unfortunately work had booked my travel so I did not have an option.  My Etihad travel was booked on Etihad but with partner airlines - JetBlue on the outbound and American Airlines on the return.

With a flight time of 12h45m, flying on the Airbus A380 is more pleasant vs the Boeing 777.  The flight was scheduled to depart New York at 3pm and arrive Abu Dhabi the next day at 12pm.  I had arrived to the gate and there was a lot of commotion - the number of passengers greatly outnumbered the number of airline staff; in fact there seem to be only 3-5 staff working on a full A380 flight.  The boarding pass stated that boarding would start around 2pm but boarding did not start until 2:30p.  Passengers were boarded by groups, and when I went to the front of line I was told I needed to get out of line and go into a separate line to confirm my boarding pass.  Those passengers who were connecting to Etihad from another airline, and there were many of us, needed to get our boarding pass reverified.  I understand this - what I do not understand is why this announcement was not made earlier (as other airlines have done) when the passengers were waiting for boarding.  Also, if the airline knew many passengers were connecting why not have more than one staff person to verify everyone's boarding pass.  It was extremely chaotic, disorganized, and not a pleasant way to start the flight.

I finally boarded and got to my seat.  Etihad does allow complimentary selection of seats (something which Emirates now charges for) so I was able to pre-select an aisle seat.  Because of the size of the plane, generally the seats on the A380 are bigger and better as compared to other airplanes; this was no different.  The seat size was definitely bigger and it was nice given the long flight time.  Each seat contained a pillow and a blanket, both of which were needed as the seat was not comfortable.  The seats pitch was generally decent, especially given the long flight time, however the seat comfort was almost nonexistent.  I used both the pillow and the blanket to add cushion to the seat as the seat felt as if it had no cushion, especially towards the end of the flight.  The blanket came in a packet which also included the headphones and the amenity kit - the amenity kit included eyeshades, tooth brush and paste, earplugs and socks.   Additional amenities of the seat included a decent size touch-screen PTV with USB port and headphone jack and a controller, a seat pocket, and a tray table.       

Boarding completed, we taxied to the runway and took off.  Etihad has a policy that it does not turn on the entertainment system until you pass 10,000ft on the departure, and turns it off when you get lower than 10,000ft on the return.  This policy may have a reason, but what ends up happening is that passengers have nothing to entertain them so they notice all the commotion and delays.  On other airlines, such as Emirates, the entertainment system is available as soon as sit in the seat until you depart - this policy is so much more customer-friendly.

In my experience, Etihad is not known for their exceptional service such as Singapore or Emirates.  I have found Etihad's service to be lacking in the past, but this time it was decent.  The service wasn't great, but it was better than previous experiences.  A little after take-off the first meal was served - lunch - along with complimentary drinks.  The meal was light but decent - not a lot of food but a decent amount.  After the service was completed the meal trays cleared, the cabin was dimmed for passengers to rest.  Water was available in the galleys for passengers to help themselves, along with some crackers.  In other airlines, staff usually walk around with water or just to check-on the passengers; this has not been the case in the past with Etihad and it was not the case here.  The staff rarely came through the galleys while passengers were sleeping.  Midway through the flight, they did come through with a light snack and another meal closer to landing.  The meal closer to landing was basically a big snack; it was larger than the mid-snack but smaller than the departure meal.  Again, as we passed 10,000ft on our landing the entertainment system was shut off - it's an inconvenience to passengers.

We landed and our proceeded to our gate.  About a month later, I took my return flight.  This flight was from Abu Dhabi to Dallas and was operated by a Boeing 777.  It's odd that for the 12hr flight Etihad would use the A380 but for the 16hr flight they would use the 777.  I guess it has to do with load factors (update: Etihad cancelled the Abu Dhabi to Dallas flight - they said that their partnership with American was one of the reasons to bring the flight to Dallas and since American ended that partnership it seemed fitting to end their service).  The return flight was operated by a Boeing 777, with a flight time of 16h30m, and was scheduled to depart Abu Dhabi at 9am and arrive Dallas at 4:15pm.  A lot of Etihad's American flights were departing around the same time and from gates right next to each other - it created for some confusion as people for one flight were getting confused by announcements to other flights.

Boarding commenced and we were able to board the plane.  The plane is laid out in a 3-4-3 configuration making it very dense.  The legroom was decent, but the plane felt smaller as compared to the A380.  Amenities on the seat included a blanket, a pillow, an amenity kit with eye shades, socks, and a tootbrush/toothpaste.  The seat contained a PTV with a USB port and headphone jack along with a tray table, and a seatback pocket which contained the airline magazine, safety card, and duty free magazine.  While the seat amenities were nice, the seat comfort was not.  Given the length of flying time, you would think the seat would have more cushion, but unfortunately it did not so you felt the seat during the flight.  Service on the flight was similar to the outbound - a meal after takeoff, a midflight snack in between, and a light meal before landing.  Again, portions were on the smaller side but decent and flavors again were average (I've had bigger and more flavorful meals as well as smaller and not as flavorful meals).  

What was the major disappointment as the entertainment system - Etihad's 'e-box' does not contain enough material to cover two long-haul flights.  My previous experience with them was similar in that they provided an average on-board product, poor customer service, and poor entertainment options.  Nothing seems to have changed in the 5 years I have been flying with them.  Change needs to happen to ensure the airline not only competes with, but wins against its competitors.   

Trip Report: Qatar Airways, Abu Dhabi to Lahore via Doha (April 2017)

Trip Report: Qatar Airways, Abu Dhabi to Lahore 

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In the past five years I had flown almost every major Gulf airline, but there was one airline which I had flown a long time ago and wanted to revisit Qatar Airways.  It had been almost one decade since I had flown with Qatar, and the last flight was long-haul from Washington to South Asia.  At this time, my experience on board was not good and the airport was extremely small.  Qatar has invested a lot in both its airport and airline, so I wanted to try Qatar Airways again to see what improvements had been made.

Instead of long-haul, this time my flight on Qatar would be two short-haul flights.  The first flight from Abu Dhabi to Doha was scheduled to take one hour, while the second flight from Doha to South Asia was scheduled to take 3.5 hours. Qatar had been promoting a Doha stopover, and even offered free transit visas if your itinerary qualified.  For this reason, I decided to take the morning flight out of Abu Dhabi and the evening flight out of Doha thus giving me 8-hours in Doha to look around.  Booking the itinerary through the website was very convenient, and I while booking was able to add FF numbers, select seats, and request special meals.  Even after booking it was very easy to manage the booking either through the website or through the app.

Trying to access the free transit visa, on the other hand, was not very easy.  Once you have booked your itinerary, you submit your information online and it tells you whether the free visa has been granted.  The problem is that there is no one who can answer any questions about which itinerary qualifies, and if you are rejected why the rejection took place.  There is an email associated with the visa page, but numerous emails to them went unrealized (still waiting for a reply 1.5months later).  I tried calling Qatar Airways reservation and talking to the onboard airline crew, both of whom provided incorrect information.  Also, no one at the airport has any answers because they all say that everything regarding the free transit visa is online.  Other friends and family that have taken Qatar Airways long-haul and had a problem say that the ground staff in Doha and the reservation staff on the phone are not helpful nor customer friendly; I experienced the same.

My first flight was scheduled to take off from Abu Dhabi at 11:30am, and after an hour flight time was scheduled to land in Doha at 11:40am.  I was able to check into my flight 24hours prior, and this could be done on the website or through the app.  The boarding pass could either be downloaded, emailed, or saved to your phone as mobile boarding pass.  The app was very convenient as it stored boarding passes, gate information, seat numbers, and even baggage tags associated with the reservation.  We got to the airport about 2.5hours prior to departure and it seems that the checkin staff were just getting started.  There were two agents open, but they were extremely slow and it took a long time.  Even though we were flying economy, there was no one in the Business class checkin line so we went there to checkin our bags and receive our boarding pass.  Bags checked and boarding passes received we proceeded to the gate.

The boarding pass stated boarding was scheduled to start at 10:30am so around that time we proceeded to the gate.  When we got to the gate, the inbound aircraft had not arrived yet (the inbound is scheduled to arrive into Abu Dhabi at 10:30a, giving them one hour to turn the plane around).  The plane arrived, passengers deplaned, and then it took the ground staff a while to get the plane ready for outbound flight.

The operating aircraft was an Airbus A320 in a 3-3 layout.  The plane looked very new and had updated seats.  The seat comfort was decent, the leg pitch also good, but the seat width was narrow.  Another issue with the seat was the location of the box for the in flight system – the box was located underneath the seat but took up a lot of space and thus cut into the legroom.  The seat came with a lot of amenities including an adjustable headrest, an adjustable shell seat, PTV screens behind every seat, USB ports, headphone jacks, a power socket below and a tray table above.  There was also a main pocket which contained the airline magazine, duty free magazine, sickness bag and safety card.  The main pocket was not that big and was pretty stuffed with all the materials, so it was difficult to take out the various contents.  There was also a smaller pocket available to hold items such as phone and glasses –this was a nice concept and something I have not seen on other planes.  The plane was generally full and even though we boarded mostly on time, we had a delayed pushback.  For both of my flights with Qatar, there was a rush to board the plane but then no rush to close the door and pushback; each time we spent a lot of time sitting at the gate waiting for the plane to close its doors and pushback.  The PTV system was on as soon as you boarded, so most passengers did not notice the delay.  As soon as the doors closed, refreshing wipes were distributed and the safety video shown.

Given the short duration of the flight, I did not expect must in flight service but as soon as we reached cruising altitude the attendants came by to offer a snack and a drink.  The hot snack was a box with a baked puff dough snack filled with either chicken or veggies, a muffin, and water.  Orange juice was also provided along with this service.  Even though it was a short flight, the attendants completed handing out the snack quickly – and then they disappeared.  I had experienced this the last time I flew with Qatar; the attendants only appear in the aisle if there is a service otherwise you never see a flight attendant.  Same thing for the rest of the flight; after the garbage was collected the flight attendants were not seen again.  We landed in Doha, taxied to the gate, and then deplaned.  I was told to go through transfers to get my transfer visa, but that turned out to be incorrect as I had to go through the regular process in arrivals.  It was extremely chaotic and inefficient process of going through immigration and customs in Doha.

My next flight departed Doha at 8:30p, with a boarding time at 7:30p. After touring Doha, we arrived at the airport around 6:30p to allow some time to look around the airport.  Overall, the airport has more shopping and fewer food options than one would normally think; also all the food options are concentrated in the middle with few to none located near the gates.  The boarding gate did not open until 7:30p, and that is when boarding passes were checked and we were told to wait in the secure area.  The aircraft was already there and boarding started around 8p.

The operating aircraft was a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, but a small one.  There were three sections of plane, one business class, one standard economy section and then another small economy section.  The seats were laid out in a 3-3-3 fashion and both the seat comfort and width were similar to the earlier plane.  The pitch was a bit tighter on this plane as compared to the Airbus.  The passenger load was extremely light, almost everyone in the first section had three seats to themselves.  As the load was light, we had boarded before time but again we sat at the boarding gate.  Due to paperwork, we sat in the plane at the gate until almost 9p – almost 30 minutes after the scheduled departure time.  While at the gate, the attendants distributed refreshing towels, water, headphones, and showed the safety video. 

The flight time was 3hr 30min and after takeoff the in flight service started which consisted of dinner.  Usually special meals are delivered first but for this flight no special meals were delivered.  I had ordered a special meal but when I told that to the attendant they didn’t seem to know what I was talking about.  I had ordered a veggie option and the choice for dinner was either chicken or lamb, but they did have some veggie options available.  Had it been a full flight, I am not sure all veggie options would have been sufficient.  The food quantity was small and the quality was average.  Drinks were served with the meal, and then tea and coffee were served when the trays were being cleared. After that, again the attendants disappeared for the rest of the flight.  If you needed something, you had to go back to the alley.  Many times people had pushed the call button but no attendant ever came.  We had pushed it many times to request a blanket – each seat came with a pillow but no blanket – but no one responded to the call.  It was only during the clearing of the meal trays that we finally got our blanket; almost twenty minutes later.  Even when I went to the back to get something, the attendants acted as if they were being disturbed and that no one should come back there.

To pass away the time, you could either read the airline magazine or watch the entertainment system.  The system itself was average – there were new Hollywood movies but a poor and limited selection of other movies.  The TV selection was equally as poor and limited all around – it was an extremely light selection and the selection was the same for both flights.

Overall, it was a disappointing flight with Qatar.  I expected, after 10 years, to see some change in the onboard product but after ten years they were still offering the same thing.  Below average service, average on board product, and average seat comfort.  They say you get what you pay for, and Qatar.so ticket prices are usually cheaper versus the other Gulf airlines; so you pay less and you get less.  For me, I would rather pay a bit more to get a bit more.

Trip Report: Saudia, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Abu Dhabi to Jeddah (April 2017)

Trip Report: Saudia Airlines, Abu Dhabi to Jeddah 

comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

We were travelling to Saudi Arabia for a religious pilgrimage.  From Abu Dhabi, we have a choice to take either Etihad or Saudia.  I have previously flown with Etihad and find their service to be extremely bad and their staff rude; so I decided to fly on Saudia.  The last time I flew Saudia was in 2007, and then the service was decent but the planes needed to be upgraded. Since then, Saudia has invested in upgrading their fleet so I decided to try them out.  Since Saudia is part of SkyTeam, I also get SkyTeam miles with Delta (another perk).  

Our flight from Abu Dhabi to Jeddah was scheduled to take off at 11:50a.  After the reservations been booked, I tried to go online and manage the reservation but could not.  I had booked the flight through a travel agent, but for other airlines this had never been a problem.  I called the reservation number to manage my booking, including adding frequent flyer numbers, requesting special meals, and seat assignments.  I had downloaded the Saudia app but even through that I could not manage my booking.  The day before my flight I went online to checkin – online checkin is only available in some markets – and when checking in I could change seats and review my booking. 

Even though we had checked in, we were still told to be at the airport 3hrs early.  We arrived to the airport two hours early and there was no one in line so checkin and luggage tagging was very quick.  We received our printed boarding pass and went to spend some time before the flight.

The flight was scheduled to take off at 11:50am and boarding scheduled to start at 10:40am, but when we arrive at the gate around 10:30a the inbound aircraft had not arrived yet.  The aircraft arrived around 11am and it took a while before the plane was ready to be boarded which resulted to a delayed start.  The operating aircraft is an Airbus A321in a 3-3 layout.  The boarding process started and we boarded the plane.  The first three rows were in 2-2 business class layout followed by economy class.  When I checked in, I was able to select seats in front of the plane.  While the outside of the plane looked decent, the inside of the plane indicated it was an older plane.  There are positive and negative aspects of older planes – the positive being bigger seat width and seat pitch while the negative include less amenities such as USB ports and PTVs.

As this was an older plane, the seats were large and comfortable with a good seat pitch.  There were no USB port nor any PTVs, the only feature of the seat was channel and volume control in the side of the armrest (some of which worked, some didn’t).  The passengers boarded and we deplaned behind schedule – as in before Saudia never seemed to be focused on ontime departure.  As soon as all passengers had boarded, refreshing wipes were passed out.  A safety video was screened on the overhead screens (some of which came down, others didn’t).

The scheduled flight time is 3hr10min but the actual flight time is around 2.5hrs.  We reached cruising altitude, but even after that the flight attendants took another 30-45mins before the service started.  They first started by delivering the special meals, but it took them another 20-30mins before the regular service started.  The service included a meal and drink service.  The meal included a choice between chicken and fish with rice.  The meals were substantial in amount but were average in taste.  After the meal both tea and coffee were offered.

Once the meal trays were cleared, there was really nothing to do to pass the time.  The entertainment on board including the airline magazine as well as some programs shown on the overhead screen.  The shows included lots of commercial and only 10mins of Mr.Bean; however it was difficult to hear thru program as the channel system stopped working many times.  After a bit more time, we descended into Jeddah.  We landed and taxied to our parking spot – Jeddah does not have any jetbridges so every passengers deplaned via stairs and buses. 

Overall, it was an average flight with Saudia.  I had not seen any changes in the last ten years, as both then and now both the aircraft and service were decent; nothing spectacular and everything right above basic.  From others who have taken the Boeing 777, those planes have good seat pitches, USB ports and PTVs so I am a bit torn as whether to take Saudia longhaul – they have good specials and prices but their service can be average.

Trip Report: Gulf Air, Kuwait to Abu Dhabi via Bahrain (March 2016)

Trip Report: Gulf Air, Kuwait to Abu Dhabi via Bahrain

comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

Gulf Air is the national airline of the gulf nation of Bahrain, and is the dominant carrier at Bahrain International Airport.  Gulf Air used to be a consortium of all the Gulf countries (hence the name) and used to have bases all around the Gulf – including Oman, Abu Dhabi, and Bahrain.  Over the years, various countries pulled out of the consortium to start their own airlines and that left Bahrain to nominate Gulf Air as its national airline.  With the transitions, Gulf Air has ebbed and flowed but now they have seem to have gotten through the transition and are a good path forward.   

I had originally flown Gulf Air in the mid 1990’s when it was still a consortium, and we flew into Abu Dhabi and then out of Bahrain.  It was really interesting and the service was pretty good.  As Gulf Air went through its transition, I had heard it had an effect on its service.  Given that they were on the other side of the transition, they were focusing on improving services and their fleet so I wanted to give them another try.

We were flying from Kuwait to Abu Dhabi via Bahrain.  We had booked our ticket through a travel website, but then went to Gulf Air’s website to manage our booking and choose seats.  Gulf Air’s website is very user-friendly and easy to navigate.  When booking the ticket, we had a couple of options of our flight.   We could take a morning flight and connect easily to Abu Dhabi, take an afternoon flight and connect easily to Abu Dhabi, or take a morning flight and have a long layover in Bahrain and take the evening flight to Abu Dhabi.  We decided to take the third option as this would allow us to visit Manama for the day, and there was no price difference between the options.

Our first flight was scheduled to depart Kuwait at 11:35am and arrive Bahrain at 12:40pm, while the second flight was scheduled to depart Bahrain at 8:40pm and arrive Abu Dhabi at 10:50pm.  Both flight times were about one hour so they were short flights.   Gulf Air is a full-service airline so we were able to confirm our seat assignments prior to our flight, and our ticket included checked luggage as well as a free meal.  We were able to check-in for our flights 24-hours prior to our departure, and the Gulf Air app was very helpful in checking in and managing flights.  Given the short distances, I did not expect a meal to be served (I expected only drinks).  

We arrived at Kuwait International and check-in was a bit slow but immigration was quick so we had plenty of time to explore the airport.  We went to our gate and the plane arrived on schedule.  The waiting area looked generally full, so I thought it was a full flight but once boarding finished on the Airbus A321 there were a lot of empty seats (the plane was about 50-60% full).  The exterior of the plane looked nice and updated, and the inside of the plane also looked nice and updated.   The seats were also updated, but they were not very comfortable.  While fine for the short-duration, I am not sure how comfortable they would be for the long-haul.  The seat pitch was decent, but a bit tight.  It would be ok for the short-haul but not sure how comfortable for the long-haul.  There was a PTV on each seat, but there was no USB port (only a headphone jack).   The PTV was immediately available, and the selection was pretty good for the short-haul but not as extensive as I thought it would be. 

We took off generally on time, and as soon as we reached cruising altitude the service started.  Given the short duration, I did not expect much but we were served drinks plus a light snack.  The snack was a sandwich, and it was pretty large given the short duration of the flight.  It was a nice perk.  The service onboard was polite and professional, but not warm nor friendly.  As soon as the drinks session ended, it was time to land.  We deplaned via jetbridge and proceeded to go and explore Manama. 

Our flight from Bahrain to Abu Dhabi was scheduled to take off at 8:40pm, but we arrived at the airport very early.  There was a lot of people already waiting in the airport, and it was a bit hectic with lots of people transiting and waiting (there seemed to be a lot of people who looked like they were waiting for a long transit – the immigration officer said this is happening since they raised the fee of the visas).  We decided to pay for the lounge, and it was a great idea because the lounge was fantastic.  The lounge was located on the top level and it had a buffet of various food items, drinks, newspapers, a shower, clean restrooms, and free wifi.  I would definitely recommend the lounge.

About an hour prior to boarding we decided to head to our gate.  Our gate was located on the bottom level, as we would have to take a bus to our plane.   The boarding announcement was a bit chaotic and once we boarded the bus there was a long wait until it actually departed for the plane.  Once we got to the plane, it was not very well-lit so it was a bit dark.  We boarded the Airbus A320 (extended range) for our flight to Abu Dhabi.  After we had boarded and settled into our seat, we sat for a while apparently waiting for the remaining passengers – we waited approximately 20-25 minutes for those passengers and thus we were delayed in our departure (the second bus contained the remaining half of the passengers).    As soon as the passengers boarded, the doors closed and we push-backed for take-off.

The ride from Bahrain to Abu Dhabi was very similar to our first ride – the seats were decent but not too comfortable, the seat pitch was a bit tight but decent, the entertainment system was the same, and the service was also the same - polite and professional but not friendly.  The service on board was also the same, as drinks and the sandwich were served.  Again, the flight time was only 1 hour so as soon as the service finished we were descending into Abu Dhabi.  We landed and proceeded to the jetbridge at Abu Dhabi International.

Overall, it was a decent flying experience with Gulf Air.  Given the short distance, they provided a decent seat with decent service.  Positives included the seat-back PTV, substantial snack, and partner with various airlines to earn miles.  Negatives included the lack of seat comfort, the lack of the USB port, and the customer-service.  Given the right circumstances – price and flight time – I would choose Gulf Air again for short-haul; however, based on this experience I am not sure I would choose them for long-haul travel.

Trip Report: Kuwait Airways, Abu Dhabi to Kuwait (March 2016)

Trip Report: Kuwait Airways, Abu Dhabi to Kuwait

comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

Kuwait Airways is the national airline of Kuwait.  As Kuwait has gone through ups and downs, so has the airline.  In the late 80’s, Kuwait Airways as going through an expansion and was increasing airplane and routes.  The invasion of Kuwait in 1990 put a halt to that expansion, and since then Kuwait Airways has been slowly trying to rebuild itself.  The airline recently announced a major expansion with new aircraft orders and upgraded airport facilities. 

It had been almost 20 years since I had flown Kuwait Airways – I flew it back in 1994 from New York to Kuwait via London.  Since the war had just finished, there was a lot of security surrounding the plane and the boarding process and we had to go around Iraq thus adding about 3 hours to our flight time.  The service was decent at that time, but from my understanding there had not been major upgrades since that time.  In April 2016, we were flying from Abu Dhabi to Kuwait and we chose to fly Kuwait Airways because 1) they were starting to invest in their fleet and service so I wanted to check out the improved Kuwait Airways and 2) the only direct flights were operated by either Etihad or Kuwait and I prefer not to fly with Etihad.

Even though we were flying roundtrip, I did not book both sectors on Kuwait Airways.  I booked the outbound on Kuwait Airways, but the return I booked on Gulf Air.  I did this for 2 reasons – 1) I wanted to try a different airline on the return, and 2) Kuwait Airways operates Kuwait – Muscat – Abu Dhabi – Kuwait so to get back to Abu Dhabi from Kuwait I would have to stop in Muscat (and I have already been there).  As I was combining two airlines into one ticket, I booked my ticket through a travel website.  Kuwait Airways is a full service airline so seat assignments, checked baggage, soft drinks, on-board entertainment, and carry-ons are all complimentary.   After I booked my travel, I went to Kuwait Airways website to manage my booking, pre-select my seat, and specify my meal option.   Their website is generally user-friendly, but sometimes it had some issues so I would switch between the website and the app on my phone in terms of managing my booking.  Through the website and app, I was able to check-in but could not receive my boarding pass so I did that at the airport.

Kuwait Airways flies out of Terminal 1 at Abu Dhabi International.  Check-in was smooth and we checked our bags and received our boarding passes.  We proceeded through immigration (there were not many people in the terminal) and waited for our flight.  The flight is scheduled to depart Abu Dhabi at 5:10pm and arrive Kuwait at 5:50pm, with a flight time of 1hr45mins.  Terminal 1 is the older terminal at Abu Dhabi and has small boarding gates (not the best terminal in the world) so we decided to wait in the general waiting area before proceeding to our gate.  The only good thing about Abu Dhabi International is that they have free, and fast, wifi available (strong enough to skype or stream youtube videos).  Around 4pm we proceeded to our gate, but the plane had not arrived.  The plane arrived around 4:30pm, and by that time all the passengers had come to the boarding area.  The plane had picked up passengers in Muscat, and was now picking up passengers in Abu Dhabi so maybe that’s why it was a light load in Abu Dhabi (they do not have rights to transport passengers from Muscat to Abu Dhabi).  Considering it was a light load, we all boarded at the same time and were seated rather quickly in the plane.

The plane was an Airbus A320 and was in a 3-3 layout.  You could not tell the age of the plane from the outside, but inside the plane did not look new.   We passed through Business Class on our way to Economy, and the Business Class were the older seats that did not lie flat.  Even though the plane looked older, the seats were comfortable and provided a decent ride for the short flight.  Each seat had a pillow on it, and the seat pitch was pretty good – not too tight but generous enough.  The seatback pocket contained the airline magazine, duty free magazine, air sickness bag, as well as headphones.  The in-flight entertainment had definitely been upgraded as there were new PTV’s available on every seat, and each PTV came with a headphone jack and a USB port.  The PTVs were available right away so the passengers could immediately start to watch their videos.  The selection was pretty good and there was enough choice to keep you entertained for any short to medium haul flights.

The plane departed Abu Dhabi generally on time, and once cruising altitude was reached the service started.  Considering the short duration of the flight, the service on the flight was very generous.  A box meal/snack was provided which contained a sandwich, fruit, chocolate, and water.  Given it was only an hour flight, it was a generous serving.   I had ordered a special meal, so that was also accommodating with the special snack pack.  Complimentary soft drinks and juices were served with the snack pack, and later on both tea and coffee were served.  The attendants came by the aisle multiple times during the short flight to offer tea and coffee.  Throughout the short duration of the flight, the attendants were constantly in the aisle.  It was great customer service provided by Kuwait Airways.

As soon as the trays were cleared, it was time to land in Kuwait.  We landed in Kuwait on time and deplaned on the tarmac and took a bus to the terminal.   The immigration and baggage are at Kuwait International definitely needs an upgrade as it looks very old, and can become very cramped very easily.  The baggage claim is on the ground floor, while the floor above is the departure gates.  The terminal upstairs is a mixture of old and new, as there are older sections with not as many services as well as newer sections with more restaurant and other options (the newer gates are a far walk from the older section, and it seems that the airport is going through some additional construction).

Overall, it was a short and pleasant flight with Kuwait Airways.  They provided good customer service and a good experience, especially for this short-haul flight, and the PTVs were modern and had a decent selection.  I would definitely consider taking Kuwait Airways for a short to medium haul flights – given the seat comfort and the age of the plane I am not sure I would take Kuwait Airways long-haul currently.  They are modernizing their fleet with new aircraft, so with the new aircraft and the current service, I would definitely take Kuwait Airways long-haul.

Trip Report: Etihad Airways, New York to Abu Dhabi (March 2014)

Etihad Airways - New York to Abu Dhabi (March 2014)
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Etihad Airways is one of the big three Middle Eastern airlines (along with Qatar and Emirates) yet it has not expanded in the same manner as the other two.  Instead of adding routes and airplanes, Etihad has decided to buy stakes in other airlines and use the other airlines planes, routes, and services to increase their own service.  These airlines are termed 'equity partners' and right now Etihad has 6 - Aer Lingus, Virgin Australia, Jet Airways, air berlin, air serbia, and air seychelles (alitalia will be its 7th).  Etihad originally had one daily flight from JFK - it left late in the evening - but wanted to expand that and did so through their 'equity partner' Jet Airways.  Through this partnership, Etihad started a second daily JFK to AUH flight which leaves JFK at 12:30pm and arrives into AUH at 9:20am (12hrs 45min flight time).  The flight is operated is by Etihad using Jet Airways aircraft (that is what they say).  I recently flew from New York (JFK) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) with an Etihad equity partner - and the overall view is if Etihad has these types of 'partners/friends' then maybe I will just stay away.

I was connecting in JFK to Etihad so I did not have go through the check-in procedures, I just needed to collect my boarding pass and pass through security to my gate.  When we arrived at the gate, the plane was already there and even though it says 'Jet Airways', underneath the pilot's window it states 'operated by Etihad Airlines.  The partnership extended to the crew - as half of the crew were wearing Etihad uniforms while the other half were wearing Jet Airways uniforms.   We were on EY 102 which departs JFK at 12:30pm.  Apparently we were not a very full flight because they were not that many people at the boarding gate, and boarding commenced around 11:45am.  

Note: As we were boarding the plane, an Etihad crew person pulled me out of line and told me that our hand baggage was too big and either we needed to check it in or remove items.  The cost to check in the bag, I was told, was $175 for a 7kg bag.   I explained to the staff that the bag was well within the weight and that it had fit on an Embraer and other flights and it will fit, and they can come with me on board to see.  If it did not fit without any fuss, we could discuss it then. I was told ‘no that is not going to happen and unless you pay the $175 and check it in you will not board and you will miss your flight’.  It sounded like an extortion or threat of money - that if I wanted to make my flight I would have to pay money.  When everyone had boarded and they were about to close the flight, that is when we were allowed to board with our luggage – with a parting note saying ‘we are going to let you go this time, but in the future that will not happen’ (another very rude comment).  While on board, our hand luggage fit in the overhead compartment without any issues and closed without any fuss.  When we deplaned, there were many people who had bigger and heavier bags than I did

                            

As we were boarded the plane, there were more signs that we boarded a Jet Airways vs an Etihad plane.  The look of the seats, the comfort (or lack there of), and the red color all brightly indicated we were not on an Etihad plane.  The only Etihad-part of the plane were the pillows and blanket on each seat (a nice touch) and the entertainment system (which I will get to in a bit).  As I had suspected earlier, the plane was only 40% full (I was told by a FA that 2 weeks prior both sectors were full but in the last 2 weeks the JFK to AUH sector had been running about this load). Etihad using a Boeing 777-300ER in a 3-4-3 configuration which makes the plane seem very cramped and tight.  As the plane was virtually empty, almost everyone could move to an empty row so I moved to an empty 4-seat row which were right next to the first set of economy toilets.

Note: After 30 minutes after take-off –with only 5 people using the restroom – the restroom became inoperable.  We informed the crew that something was wrong with the restroom and got a nod in response.  Some FA's went to investigate but did not make a mention nor put out a sign, which meant people still believed the bathroom was operational.  It was up to passengers like myself and others to warn other fellow passengers that this washroom was inoperable and to find another. The bathroom situation became worse as the soap ran out in 3 of the other bathrooms.  When this was mentioned to the crew, the response was ‘yes…go to another one’ and that was it.  No apologies and not trying to resolve the situation – which is critical considering how many germs are on planes and thus hand washing is important to minimize sickness and the spreading of germs.

The crew did come by occasionally to check on passengers, but I have been on other long-haul flights and the crew on other airlines came by more frequently (Qantas staff does a good job of this, as well as Emirates).  The crew did leave out water and drinks to have in the galley but that was about it.  

As we took off, the crew started their service which included handing out headsets, amenity kits, and menus.  The crew first started with a drink service and then commenced serving lunch.  Etihad's food leaves a lot to be desired.  On this flight, there was a choice of Western or Indian (South Indian) options --- both of which looked unappetizing. (I took many Etihad flights and none of the food on any of the flights was good or edible -- they ranged from passable to plain not worth it!).  After the food, coffee and tea were served -- on certain flights, Etihad has hot chocolate listed on the menu so I asked for it many times but almost never got it (75% failure rate in terms of hot chocolate delivery).  When it does come, it is good though (and a nice touch!)

After the meal service, they dimmed the lights to relax and enjoy the entertainment system.  Since I had 4 seats, I was able to stretch out comfortably and browse through the entertainment system. Unlike other airlines (ex. Emirates and Oman Air), Etihad does not turn on their entertainment system until after the initial climb after take-off and turns it off as soon as they start their initial decent (if you are on a short flight - leave little time to enjoy the system).  Overall, the entertainment system is alright.  There are some selections of new and old movies but its definitely not a good system.  There isn't enough entertainment to keep you entertained for almost 13 hours (especially if, like me, you do not sleep on planes).  They have television programs as well, but only one or two episodes vs many episodes or entire seasons other airlines have.   

in-screen entertainment

About 3 hours into our decent, the lights came on and breakfast was served.  Again, the choice was either Western (egg) or Indian (South Indian) and neither were very good.  The croissant that was given with the egg was cold.  After the meal and coffee were served and trays cleared, the cabin was prepped for landing and this is when Etihad turned off their entertainment system.

Note: As we were descending into Abu Dhabi, we encountered a very violent and dusty sand storm which basically was pushing our airplane from side to side and we dropped altitude a couple of times - never a warning or communication from the cockpit.  Thankfully we landed safely

We actually landed early, around 8:30am instead of the scheduled 9:20am.  The taxi to the gate took a while, but clearing immigration was quick (most passengers were transferring to other flight) and our luggage came relatively quickly as well.  

Note: On Etihad.com, for those passengers travelling to the U.S. can pay $50 for an increase from 50 to 70lbs (from 23kg to 32kg).  I wanted to avail myself of this option so I called the number while I was in Abu Dhabi.  When I called and explained what I wanted to do, they had no idea what I was talking about.  I explained I found the information from their website but they still had no idea what I was talking about.  They said I should go to a in-store travel center and they could better assist me.  I went to two Etihad centers in two different Abu Dhabi malls and neither had a clue as to what I was talking about.  Both of them said ‘we do not know, call the number and they will help you’.  Each was trying to pass me off to the other.  Finally, I went to the Etihad Travel Center in Dubai and sat there for 1 hour waiting for someone (as everyone was on their break!) and then the next 1 hour showing them where on the Etihad site I found this and finally purchasing the extra luggage (the staff there also had no idea).  The entire process was painful and completely ridiculous, as the information was posted and found on Etihad’s website yet no staff was aware and no staff seemed like they wanted to help.

I returned on the Jet Airways/Etihad (EY103) operated flight almost 1.5 months after my departure.  I checked into Etihad T3 and was told to go through security and proceed to the gate, only to find out that the gate was actually in T1 (and was only told of that by the staff inside T3 and not at the check-in counter).  T3 is Etihad's new terminal and is spacious while T1 is the old terminal where most international flights depart from.  This terminal is small and extremely crowded and chaotic.  The terminal does have free wifi (a plus point) but food options are limited.

The economy cabin - with a view of business class

We waited until our gate was announced and we proceeded to the gate.  The scene at the gate was chaotic, claustrophobic, and just plain horrendous.   Over 300 people were crammed into a space designed for maybe 100 and people are pushing and shoving and the staff are not doing anything to control the crowd, but rather they are making more announcements to bring more people into the crowded area.  It was a complete mess and horror.

Once on-board, this flight seemed a complete Jet Airways flight and not 'an Etihad flight operated by Jet Airways'.  The crew were all Jet Airways, all the announcements were made in Hindi like Jet Airways, and everything else resembled Jet Airways – the only thing that seemed like Etihad was the entertainment system.  This plane had a 3-3-3 layout which would make the seemed more roomier, but the seats were very cramped (I flew on Ethiopian 3-3-3 layout and their plane seemed more spacious and comfortable).

The service was better on the return with the Jet Airways crew as they were more attentive than the Etihad crew.  The flight departed Abu Dhabi at 1:45am and we were served dinner pretty quickly; however, we were served the EXACT same food from AUH to JFK as we were served a 1.5 months prior from JFK to AUH (and it will still unedible).  After the drinks, meal, and coffee service, the lights were turned down so people could rest for the 14hr10min flight.  The Jet Airways crew did periodically come by with water and did leave out water and other drinks for people to avail themselves in the galley.  

We were scheduled to land at JFK at 7:55am so about 2 hours prior to landing we were given breakfast (again the same breakfast we were given when landing into AUH 1.5 months prior -- and still unedible!).  The plane was prepared for landing and we landed at JFK at 7:30am.  After a relatively short-taxi (for JFK) we arrived at the gate and deplaned and went to immigration --- NOTE: there is U.S. pre-clearance in Abu Dhabi but that is only available for the 'Etihad' operated flights - EY 101 as it departs in the morning when the pre-clearance is open.  Our flight took off at 1am so no pre-clearance for EY103.  In spite of not having U.S. pre-clearance, immigration went rather quickly.  What took a very long time was the baggage -- we waited almost 1hr15 min for our luggage.  For those passengers with tight connections, this meant either running to barely make their connection or missing it entirely!

Jet Airways - operated by Etihad

In the end, it was not a pleasant experience flying with Etihad (we had two other bookings on Etihad for a total of 4 additional flights and each had equally bad service).  Customer service is something that should not be lost while trying to expand an airline, and I believe Etihad is in danger of that – and if it would like to compete with other airlines in the region, then it should really focus on customer service.  Other airlines have expanded - either increasing themselves or through partnerships - but have tried to keep their customer service and that's why people choose them again.  Etihad has not kept its commitment to customer service, and that is when I recently booked travel I choose a competing Middle Eastern airline which has kept its customer service.  Hopefully, the standards of customer service will improve and passengers like myself will not have to avoid flying with Etihad (because while in –flight, we talked to fellow passengers who had similar stories of the lack of customer service!)