Customer
Service Plan
The Etihad Airways Customer Service Plan is applied in accordance with applicable United States Department of Transportation regulations.
Offering our lowest fares online
We will offer the lowest available fare on our US website, which can be accessed within the United States at www.etihad.com. If you inquire about a fare via our call centre or ticket counter, we will advise you that a lower fare may be available on our United States website. Please note that this commitment is limited to providing lowest published fare that we offer for the specific airports and type of itinerary that you request. We do not search for or quote fares for other itineraries, or by combining separate one-way tickets
Notification of delays, cancellations and diversions Etihad Airways aims to get you to your destination on time and as scheduled. There may be times when weather, air traffic control or other operational factors lead to flight delays, cancellations or diversions. When this happens we will make available the most current, accurate information about your flight's status that we have. This includes providing information about a change in the status of a flight to, from or within the United States, a delay of 30 minutes or more in the planned operation of a flight or a flight diversion.
We will use one or more ways to communicate this information:
If you are at an airport in the United States, an Etihad airport team member or one of the third-party ground handling agent employees will be available to assist you and answer questions. They will also keep you regularly informed during a delay on the ground at the terminal.
In the event of a lengthy tarmac delay on board an Etihad aircraft, our flight crew will keep you informed of the latest information available on the flight’s status.
In the event of a diversion, our flight crew will keep you informed as to the new destination and reason for the diversion, and provide updates every 30 minutes with the most current available information about the status of the flight.
On-Time Baggage Delivery We will strive to deliver your baggage in a timely manner following the flight’s arrival.
If your baggage does not arrive with you, please see an Etihad Airways representative in the baggage area and file a baggage report. We will make every reasonable effort to reunite you with your baggage within 24 hours, though in exceptional circumstances the actual notification may take longer.
Once your report is made in the World Tracer baggage tracing system, you will be able to click and view the status of your bag online by entering your name and report reference number.
In the event that your bag does not arrive at its intended destination the day of your flight, our local baggage services company will endeavor to contact you on a daily basis with an update on efforts to locate your bag.
In the event that you are not in your home country and your checked baggage has not arrived on your flight, Etihad Airways will reimburse you (as required by applicable international agreement and up to international limits) for your reasonable expenses incurred as a result of the delay, which include essential items such as toiletries, basics and other necessary items. You must present your receipts to Etihad Airways so that we can evaluate your claim for reasonable delayed baggage expenses. If we are unable to locate your baggage, any delayed baggage payments made previously by Etihad Airways will be deducted from the final settlement.
In the unlikely event your bag is not located and returned to you within 7 days, the claim file will be transferred to Etihad Airways headquarters and will be managed by a representative from our baggage claims department. You may contact the baggage claims department at:
Guests unable to contact our claims department via any of the above means should contact the nearest Etihad Airways office for assistance.
We recommend you clearly label your baggage, inside and out, with your name, flight details and contact information.
Etihad Airways will also refund any additional fee you paid us to transport the lost bag.
Guests with disabilities or special needs
Etihad Airways is committed to providing our guests with exceptional service, delivered with warmth and respect.
We operate a modern fleet of aircraft equipped with accessible lavatories and moveable armrests in a number of seats, and every Etihad Airways aircraft has an onboard wheelchair to assist guests with reduced mobility during a flight.
We will disclose all guidelines and procedures for guests with reduced mobility and special needs on our US website available via www.etihad.com, or via the Etihad Airways Contact Centre, telephone number +1 (0) 877 690 0767, and at our airport offices.
During on-aircraft tarmac delays, our flight crew will make every effort to accommodate the particular requirements of guests with disabilities or special needs.
Our team members are trained to comply with the Air Carrier Access Act (14 CFR Part 382) and we shall make available a trained complaint resolution official at all times, either in person or via the telephone.
Guests with disabilities and other special needs can obtain a copy of 14 CFR Part 382 in an accessible format from the US Department of Transportation by any of the following means:
Meeting your essential needs during lengthy tarmac delays
Etihad Airways will make every reasonable effort to avoid extended on-aircraft tarmac delays, and in the event a delay occurs, we will make every reasonable effort to provide food and water, operable lavatories, and access to medical assistance during the delay.
Handling oversold flights at US airports
Etihad Airways is committed to handling all guests with fairness and consistency.
Unless otherwise specifically noted for guests traveling on confirmed First or Business Class tickets, all guests traveling on an Etihad-operated flight from a United States airport must complete their check-in transaction a minimum of 60 minutes prior to the scheduled time of departure and be at the boarding gate ready for boarding a minimum of 45 minutes prior to the scheduled time of departure. Check-in and departure gate deadlines for airports outside the United States may vary, and guest should refer to airport-specific information available at https://www.etihad.com/en-us/before-you-fly/airport-information. No compensation shall be payable to a guest who does not comply with the Etihad Airways reservation and check-in requirements or who cannot be accepted for transportation under the terms and conditions detailed in the Conditions of Carriage.
On every occasion when a flight is in high demand and an overbooking situation occurs, Etihad Airways shall seek guests to voluntarily give up their confirmed seat.
For each guest who voluntarily elects to surrender their seat, the airport team shall make alternative arrangements on a case-by-case basis. These arrangements may include, but are not limited to, rebooking onto another Etihad Airways flight or another airline’s flight to the same final destination, and providing hotel accommodations, meals, ground transport and travel credits or other rewards.
If an insufficient number of volunteers exist, and it becomes necessary for Etihad Airways to deny a guest boarding, the last guest(s) to present for check-in shall be denied boarding. There are exceptions to this general operating practice of selecting the last guest(s) to present at check-in. These include, but are not limited to, special category passengers, such as unaccompanied minors. This situation will be managed by the Etihad airport team member on duty at the check-in area or departure gate as applicable.
If you are denied boarding, Etihad Airways shall make available to you from the ticket counter or boarding gate a copy of a notice providing a written explanation of denied boarding compensation.
The following amounts shall be paid as denied boarding compensation to a guest, based on the arrival time of alternate transportation to the final destination or first stopover point when compared with the original scheduled arrival time.
In addition to these amounts Etihad Airways shall make arrangements for you to travel to your final ticketed destination in full compliance with 14 CFR Part 250.
Disclosure of cancellation policies, Etihad Guest program rules & aircraft configuration
Upon request, this information is available to our guests via the Etihad Airways Contact Centre by calling +1 (0) 877 690 0767.
Aircraft configuration information can be found here.
Notification of Itinerary Changes
We will notify you in a timely manner of changes in your travel itinerary.
Response to complaints
We will acknowledge in writing receipt of each written complaint regarding our scheduled service to the complainant within 30 days of receiving it and shall send a substantive written response to each complainant within 60 days of receiving the written complaint.
Our Guest Affairs Team
You are welcome to contact Etihad Airways Guest Affairs at:
If your written complaint involved travel to or from the United States and you are not satisfied with our response, you may then submit a complaint or comment about Etihad Airways’ service to the US Department of Transportation at http://airconsumer.dot.gov or write at their mailing address given below:
Aviation Consumer Protection Division, C-75 US Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E. Washington, D.C. 20590
Services provided resulting from flight cancellations, delays and misconnections
If you miss your connection due to reasons within our control, such as aircraft servicing, Etihad Airways will, in accordance with our terms and conditions, seek to provide you with an alternative flight reservation with a confirmed seat on Etihad or another airline to your originally ticketed final destination or first stopover. Where airline schedules necessitate, we shall also provide hotel accommodation, meals/refreshments, and ground transportation to/from the airport and hotel.
Ticket Refunds
General Provisions
Where ticket refunds are due, we will provide prompt refunds, as required by 14 CFR 374.3 and 12 CFR part 226 for credit card purchases, and within 20 days after receiving a complete refund request for cash and check purchases, including refunding fees charged to a passenger for optional services that the passenger was unable to use due to an oversale situation or flight cancellation.
Refund Requests Made within 24 hours of Booking
For itineraries to/from the United States booked with Etihad Airways through our United States’ points of sale at least seven days prior to the first flight’s departure, you may request a refund within 24 hours of booking without penalty. Your refund will be processed within seven days of the refund request. If you request a change to your booking during this 24-hour period that result in a higher fare (e.g., changes to dates of travel or class of service) you must pay any fare difference. If such changes result in a lower fare, you will be refunded the difference in price.
The Etihad Airways Tarmac Delay Plan applies to flights operated by our airline at airports in the United States.
On rare occasions, an Etihad Airways flight may experience delay while on the ground at a United States airport. During this time, our goal is to ensure that any flight disruption is kept to a minimum and that we keep our guests comfortable and informed throughout the delay.
Etihad’s contingency plan for lengthy tarmac delays describes what Etihad will implement during an extended delay in accordance with US Department of Transportation regulations.
What is a lengthy tarmac delay?
Any four-hour or longer delay that occurs while an Etihad aircraft is on-ground at a US airport during:
Etihad’s tarmac delay policy
The Etihad Airways Network Operations Centre employees, third-party ground handling agent employees, Etihad airport operation teams, flight crews, air traffic control coordinators and airport operator employees will work together to:
1. Provide adequate food and water no later than two hours after the aircraft leaves the gate (in the case of a departure) or touches down (in the case of an arrival) if the aircraft remains on the tarmac, unless the pilot-in-command determines that safety or security considerations preclude such service.
2. Assure that upon departure from or arrival at a United States airport the aircraft shall not remain on the tarmac for more than four hours before allowing passengers to deplane. The flight crew and air traffic control will coordinate any exceptions to this legal requirement. Exceptions may be made if:
a. the pilot in command determines there is a safety or security risk to deplaning guests, such as a weather event or an air traffic control directive; or
b. Air Traffic Control advises that returning to a gate or allowing guests to deplane at an area other than a gate would significantly disrupt airport operations.
In either of these scenarios, Etihad Airways will continue to assess conditions in an effort to maintain compliance with our customer service plan and US Department of Transportation regulations.
3. Proactively manage the pushback of an aircraft to prevent delays lasting more than four hours, to the best of our ability.
4. Proactively manage taxi-in delays to prevent delays lasting more than four hours, to the best of our ability.
5. Proactively manage diversions to prevent delays from lasting more than four hours, to the best of our ability.
6. Provide or arrange lavatory facilities as well as adequate medical attention, if needed, while an aircraft remains on the tarmac.
7. Provide information to guests regarding the status of the delay every 30 minutes, including reasons for the delay if they are known, via Etihad’s airport operation teams and flight crews.
8. Provide information every 30 minutes to guests on board an aircraft that they may disembark if they wish to, but only when this is actually possible, and safe to do so, via Etihad’s airport operation teams and flight crews.
Etihad Airways has sufficient resources to implement this plan.
Etihad Airways has coordinated this plan with the airport authorities, the US Customs & Border Protection and the US Transportation Security Administration at Chicago O’Hare Terminal 5, New York John F. Kennedy International Airport Terminal 4, Washington Dulles International Airport Main Terminal and Los Angeles International Airport Tom Bradley International Terminal, and at those airports designated as alternate airports within the USA.
