I am writing to formally raise a complaint regarding the handling of our recent journey from Vienna to Singapore via Abu Dhabi, which was severely disrupted due to schedule changes and inadequate assistance throughout the trip.
Booking reference: 7Z75P7
Passengers: Ivana Suman and Karlo Radeljic
Original route: Vienna – Abu Dhabi – Singapore
Date of travel: 23.01.2026.
Approximately 12 hours (instead of 24 hours at least!!) before departure, we were informed that our Vienna–Abu Dhabi flight had been delayed by two hours. I have receieved the message at 22:00 o’clock making it impossible for us to rebook or reorganise. This change made it impossible for us to catch our originally scheduled connecting flight to Singapore.
From that point on, we were repeatedly redirected between Etihad Airways and the third-party agency through which the tickets were booked. Etihad advised us to contact the agency, while the agency stated that only the airline could assist. We spent nearly two hours on the phone without receiving any clear solution. Eventually, we were told simply to go to the airport in Vienna and that the matter would be resolved there by Etihad crew.
At Vienna Airport, we were informed that the issue could not be handled there and would instead be dealt with in Abu Dhabi. We were given a €15 meal voucher and told to present our boarding passes at participating outlets. However, only one boarding pass worked. Mine did not, and after spending another hour trying to resolve this through customer service with no success, I had to return to the Etihad counter in person to ask a staff member to manually fix the issue. This added unnecessary stress and delay at the very start of an already disrupted journey.
Additionally, the Vienna–Abu Dhabi flight did not depart at the scheduled time and left after 14:00 instead of 13:00, further extending the delay.
Upon arrival in Abu Dhabi, we were informed that we had missed our connection to Singapore and had been rebooked on a flight the following day. While we were provided with hotel accommodation and transport, the assistance again lacked proper coordination. We were told we were entitled to dinner, but then informed it was too late to eat at the hotel and that we should instead eat at the airport. This was not practical, as we were being directed out of the transit area for hotel transfer, and no clear instructions or workable solution were provided. After a long and exhausting travel day, we were left to manage this situation ourselves despite being entitled to care due to a missed connection caused by schedule changes and delays on your side.
As a result of this experience, we lost a full day of our trip planned in Singapore, had to cancel our night and activites in Singapore that we have booked a month in advance. Had endured repeated stress due to poor communication and lack of clear responsibility between the airline and the booking agency. At every stage, we had to actively chase solutions instead of receiving organised and proactive support.
In light of the significant delay to our final destination and the inadequate assistance provided, I am requesting:
Financial compensation in accordance with applicable passenger rights regulations for long delays and missed connections caused by airline schedule changes and operational
A clear explanation as to why we were repeatedly redirected between Etihad and the booking agency without resolution.
This experience fell well below the standard we expected when booking with Etihad Airways. I ask that this case be reviewed thoroughly and that we receive a fair and appropriate response.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Kind regards,
Ivana Suman
ivanasuman@yahoo.com
+385 95 502 98 16