Etihad’s 2025 switch to Wamos Air ACFT sparks confusion & frustration

[kris]

Etihad Airways has announced that several of its 2025 flights, including the Rome (FCO) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) route, will switch from their Boeing 787 to a Wamos Air A330-200 aircraft under a wet lease agreement. This change has caused confusion and dissatisfaction among travelers, many of whom booked specifically to experience Etihad’s newer business class on the 787. With limited communication from Etihad and no rebooking options for affected passengers, customer frustration has grown.

My experience:

I understand that flight/aircraft changes can happen, but this is the first time I’ve encountered an airline refusing to rebook at a convenient time for me. I wasn’t asking for a rebooking after a month—just the day before!

If you feel reading (sent to Etihad):

I am writing to express my disappointment and frustration with the recent changes to my flight itinerary—not because of the schedule changes per se, as I am fully aware and experienced with the fact that flights can be rescheduled. My frustration stems from how my request was handled during this process, as the customer service experience did not meet the standards I expected from Etihad Airways.

This is my first time flying with Etihad Airways, and I was looking forward to experiencing your services on an Etihad aircraft. Upon receiving notification of the schedule changes, I called customer service to discuss my options. Initially, the representative informed me that all flights from XXX to Abu Dhabi are now operated by Wamos Air. I was disappointed, as I specifically chose Etihad to experience your aircraft and service. While on the call, I checked online and found that there was still an Etihad aircraft available for the XXX to Abu Dhabi route. When I pointed this out, the representative assured me she would update my booking to reflect my preference for my required schedule and an Etihad aircraft.

My preferred itinerary is as follows:

XX January 2025: XXX to Abu Dhabi on EYXXX, departing at XX:55 and arriving at XX:55. (No change requested)
XX January 2025: Abu Dhabi to XXX on EYXXX, departing at XX:40 and arriving at XX:00.
XX March 2025: XXX to Abu Dhabi on EYXXX, departing at XX:35 and arriving in Abu Dhabi at XX:20 on XX March.
XX March 2025: Abu Dhabi to XX on EYXXX, departing at XX:40 and arriving at XX:45. (No change requested)

Despite my request to keep the XXX to Abu Dhabi flight on XX January unchanged and only modify the Abu Dhabi to XXX and XXX to Abu Dhabi legs, the representative informed me that it was not possible to make these specific adjustments. She explained that Etihad’s policy requires a change to the entire XXX-Abu Dhabi-XXX sector, which would impact all connecting flights in the itinerary.

When she returned from putting me on hold, she informed me that my request was not possible because there was no conflicting flight. This response only increased my frustration, as it seemed inconsistent with our earlier conversation.

Throughout the conversation, I felt as though the representative was providing conflicting information, which only added to my frustration. I tried to provide a clear overview of my requirements, but the discussion became increasingly disorganized. My dissatisfaction is not simply about the schedule change itself but about how my requests and concerns were handled during this process, especially given that I specifically wanted my itinerary to include an Etihad aircraft as a first-time Etihad passenger.

Then I did a LIVE CHAT – What is totally unacceptable is the reason given; see the chat transcript below.

(Thu, 14 Nov 2024 11:03:27) Etihad Airways : I understand that you can see availability online, but please note that the
availability shown on the website is for new bookings. However, there are no
seats available for rebooking on March XX, 2025. However, if you are open to
traveling on March XX, 2025, I can book you on flight EY XXX.

(Thu, 14 Nov 2024 11:06:24) ME : I’d like to raise a concern regarding the prioritization process for new
bookings over rebookings, as it feels somewhat disadvantageous for those of us
affected by schedule changes. I hope you can understand the perspective of
customers needing rebookings.

(Thu, 14 Nov 2024 11:08:25) Etihad Airways : Please bear with me a couple more minutes. I’ll be right back.

(Thu, 14 Nov 2024 11:08:38) ME : find it quite unfair that seats are being offered to new bookings while those
of us needing rebooking due to flight cancellations are left without options on
our original travel date. Given that my original flight was scheduled for March
XXX, I would expect rebooking to be prioritized on that date rather than shifted
to accommodate new bookings.

(Thu, 14 Nov 2024 11:09:04) Etihad Airways : I appreciate you raising your concern regarding the prioritization process for
new bookings over rebooking. I understand how this can feel disadvantageous for
customers affected by schedule changes, and I apologize for any inconvenience
this has caused.

(Thu, 14 Nov 2024 11:09:45) Etihad Airways : While we strive to accommodate all our customers, I understand that the current
process may not meet everyone’s expectations. I will ensure that your feedback
is passed on to our management team. If there’s anything specific I can assist
you with regarding your booking or any other concerns, please let me know.

After reviewing the situation, I now feel compelled to report this to the consumer protection authorities in Qatar (as I purchased my flight from there). Any suggestions?

[can2]

Thanks for being brief.

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

Flight hasn’t been cancelled so you have no automatic right to be rebooked.

Also using endless ‘XXX’ makes it really hard to work out what it is you are trying to do !

[JDB]

@kris – in these circumstances you are reliant on goodwill rather than rules. Etihad has elected to lease aircraft rather than cancel the service, something many might prefer. I’m not sure that Etihad has really done anything wrong and it’s not really clear what you might legitimately be reporting to the Qatari consumer protection authorities.

[ChrisBCN]

Any customer service drone (who will be targeted to resolve X issues per hour) will read only the first few lines and then give you some template response.

You would help yourself if you were far more brief and to the point when dealing with customer service at any company.

[Skywalker]

@Kris, it’s disappointing but unfortunately there really isn’t much you can do except to change your ticket start/end points, cancel for a refund if the fare rules of your ticket permits or simply cut your losses and fly with another airline.

However, regardless of which airline you fly with, airlines do this from time to time and there are no guarantees with any of them.

As others have advised, the airline has not cancelled your flight so the re-routing/assigning a different airline processes are not available to you.

More info for your situation here and here.

[nfp]

I have also ended up on the Wamos EY83/84 service from FCO-AUH in BOTH directions on my way to CMB. There was no notification by EY of the change of operator. The only thing that made me review the reservation was an email indicating a 5 min schedule change. Then I saw that there were new seat allocations on the ‘operated by Wamos A330-200’

EY issued a waiver to allow reservations to be changed – but only if flights are available in the same booking class. Since I had a bit of a bargain booked into Z Amex Travel were unable to find any alternatives. However, despite all the freaking out, reports of the service running to Manila have been quite positive with the same food, service and even EY seat covers. The entertainment sounds as though it could be slightly vintage. The service is due to be operated for quite some time so I’m sure it will be up to scratch…I’ll let you know in March 2025.