Etihad’s The Residence is probably the most luxurious product in commercial aviation, as it consists of a three room suite. I recently reviewed the experience, and had a fantastic flight. Unfortunately a reader shared a less impressive experience with me, and it sounds like the handling of this by the carrier’s customer service department left a lot to be desired.
In this post:
Etihad’s paltry compensation offer for disappointing experience
Let me just share the entire email from the reader (this actually goes back to a flight in May 2025, but the correspondence with the airline has gone on over months):
I recently redeemed miles for two First Class tickets for my parents on Etihad A380, from AUH to CDG. (Cost: 280,000 miles + 800 USD, each ticket). After booking I noticed The Residence was available on the outbound sector as a cash upgrade, at the additional cost of 2000 USD for both tickets together.
Everything went great, from the door to door porter service from airport door to the aircraft seat, the exclusive lounge-within-a-lounge, and wonderful welcome by cabin crew. That is, until the aircraft departed.
Upon departure they quickly found out that the entertainment system in the “living room” didn’t work. Making the most of a bad situation, they decided to dine instead, and make a romantic dinner out of it – sans TV.
After dinner, unable to enjoy a movie together, they then decided to take a snooze, it being a red-eye after all. After a restful nap, they wanted to freshen up with a shower before landing. Lo and behold, the private shower wasn’t working. Cabin crew tried everything they could but to no avail.
The shower at the first class bathroom was already booked by other passengers, so they were unable to be accommodated there either.
So they ended up with no TV, and no working shower, both of which I feel are essential to the Residence experience? I contacted Etihad on their behalf to raise a complaint, and after 2 months of being told to wait for a customer service agent to get back to us, we finally received their reply 2 weeks ago.
Unfortunately it left a lot to be desired. They claimed the services were working during pre-departure inspection, and that they stopped working “upon descent” – a completely inaccurate representation. The compensation offered: a 100 USD voucher or 10,000 miles for each passenger.
First world problems maybe, but I felt that was on the edge of being offensive? I pushed back – but was offered the same, again.
I wonder what you think – if you think the compensation offered makes sense, or if this is indeed an incredibly lowball offer.
The reader followed up with Etihad a couple of times, and ultimately the airline has stated that it considers the case to be closed, with the $100 Etihad voucher or 10,000 Etihad Guest bonus miles offer being the final one:
We have fully reviewed this case and fully addressed your concerns in your previous correspondence. In this regard, we must now draw this case to a conclusion.
My take on how Etihad has handled this situation
If the living room TV and shower were indeed broken, then I absolutely think that Etihad’s compensation offer is incredibly stingy. The couple spent $2,000 to upgrade (on top of what they paid for first class), and they’re being offered a total of $200 in Etihad credits or 20,000 Etihad Guest miles. So the $200 in credits is like 10% back, but it’s not even worth that much, because you’re trading cash for credits.
It’s one thing if just the TV in the living room were broken, but we’re also talking about a broken shower, and there’s no denying that showering on a plane (and having that bathroom all to yourself) is one of the bigger parts of the experience.
My instinct is that what would be reasonable is something in the range of 25-50% of the upgrade cost, with it being on the lower end if it’s a cash refund, and on the higher end if it’s voucher or miles. Keep in mind that it’s really efficient for Etihad to upgrade two people to The Residence, since it clears up two of the first class suites, which can in turn be sold.
It’s interesting how the airline claims that these issues only happened during the descent phase. For what it’s worth, here’s what Etihad wrote in its correspondence:
Following a thorough review, I would like to confirm that a complete inspection of The Residence suite was carried out prior to boarding as part of our standard procedures and no defects were identified at that time. While there were no technical issues identified prior to take-off, several technical issues emerged during the descent phase of the flight.
To me this is all a very strange point to make:
- Did the flight attendant not properly document what happened, including the timing of everything?
- It’s interesting how the airline justifies the claim that it happened during descent based on a pre-flight inspection having been carried out
- I assume the reader is not lying here, because if the couple had showered, there wouldn’t be anything to complain about; and it’s also reasonable to expect that the shower would work close to arrival, given that this is when most people would ideally like to shower on an overnight flight
Bottom line
A couple traveling in Etihad’s The Residence experienced a broken TV in the living room plus a broken shower, which is obviously disappointing. They spent $2,000 to upgrade their first class tickets, though Etihad only offered them a $100 Etihad voucher or 10,000 Etihad Guest miles each as compensation.
That doesn’t seem particularly generous, and I’d side with the family in thinking that Etihad isn’t being reasonable here, unless there’s something I don’t know.
What do you make of Etihad’s compensation offer, and what do you think would be reasonable?
Um... there is only one reason for the apartment. It isn't watching TV. Join the club.
You gotta be well documented and aggressively pursue service recovery. Speak to the Captain. Have them contact maintenance on the ground for trouble shooting.
Open a credit card dispute for the $2000 at this point. That sucks really feel sorry for the parents. This is not a first world problem. It is a first class problem and this is unacceptable ! Let me know if you need me to lean on them (Etihad) Ben. I know how to escalate.
EY is a garbage airline. I constantly hear that the F shower doesn't work. It was broken the 2 times I flew in the apartments years apart as well.
Meanwhile I've flown EK F every month over the last 12+ years and the shower has never been broken.
I tried to book the residence a few months ago, and when expertflyer was glitching, they couldn't even tell me whether the residence was available...
EY is a garbage airline. I constantly hear that the F shower doesn't work. It was broken the 2 times I flew in the apartments years apart as well.
Meanwhile I've flown EK F every month over the last 12+ years and the shower has never been broken.
I tried to book the residence a few months ago, and when expertflyer was glitching, they couldn't even tell me whether the residence was available or not prior to booking. Truly abysmal and lackluster customer service and that is why they are nowhere near the same league as EK.
Would complaining to the DoT make any sense?
Have we bought Paris or Middle East countries with tariff money yet?
Ridiculous compensation. The question the reader should ask them is, would Etihad be able to sell the Residence upgrade for $1800 after telling customers that both the TV and shower weren't working? Given that caveat in advance, I certainly wouldn't pay that and I bet most others wouldn't either.
Ridiculous compensation. The question the reader should ask them is, would Etihad be able to sell the Residence upgrade for $1800 after telling customers that both the TV and shower weren't working? Given that caveat in advance, I certainly wouldn't pay that and I bet most others wouldn't either.
If I had paid $2000 to upgrade to the residence and the TV and shower were not working, I would expect at least 40% refunded.
If they had been offered the upgrade at $2000 but told there would be no TV and no shower, I very much doubt they would have accepted it over a first class seat with working entertainment.
In this situation I would file a credit card dispute for services not rendered as paid for. That might be a tough fight to win though.
What I appreciate about low cost airline travel is you expect the bare minimum and get the bare minimum, and are never disappointed like this.
EY showers are very often broken. Buyer beware. I was offered zero comp when it didn’t work when I flew AUH YYZ in F. Go figure EY no longer advertise showers as a feature of F A380 class service on their website.
That is an abhorrent offer. This shouldn’t be the case but I wonder if EY is especially stingy with people on award tickets. If this happens to me on my upcoming Residence ticket I’d be livid.
You can blame professional extortionist like Josh and Sebastian.
Especially the latter.
Between them everything seems to go terribly wrong every few minutes on every trip.
(Terribly wrong = denied lounge for being too early, room temp was 2 degrees off, no wakeup call but your iphone works, etc.)
How big of a jerk you have to be to get banned by Qatar or Bali.
Probably on tail A6-APJ. Flew the residence a few months back and had similar thing happen where the living room TV remotes wouldn't work. Screen came on but no way to control it. Shower worked fine though. They reset the system several times but to no avail. My FA said it happens somewhat regularly on this specific plane, but at least some of the time they can get it working by resetting. TV in the...
Probably on tail A6-APJ. Flew the residence a few months back and had similar thing happen where the living room TV remotes wouldn't work. Screen came on but no way to control it. Shower worked fine though. They reset the system several times but to no avail. My FA said it happens somewhat regularly on this specific plane, but at least some of the time they can get it working by resetting. TV in the bedroom worked fine though so I didn't mind too much.
They gave me some miles without me asking, i don't remember exactly how many but it was a modest amount. Cabin manager came and apologized profusely too. On a different Etihad F flight this year (not the residence "just" first:) the touch screen to control the seats and lights wasn't working. Etihad A380's are wonderful to fly especially in First but they are starting to show their age.
This is shameful compensation. Somewhere along the process, Etihad f-ed up in terms of the shower and TV operating, and is now trying to blur things with this pre-departure / "descent" nonsense. It's too bad, cause it's a great product...
PS that entire itinerary and upgrade is a horrible use of miles and $s by the passenger but that's another story
eh value is different for all of us. i know folks who generate obscene miles just from business spend (not even optimized for spend category) and have no hesitation burning 200k for a TATL J ticket, because there's more where that came from.
end of the day, this person paid for a service, whatever the relative value, and has every right to expect it.
These companies try to aim for best luxury in the sky and work hard for it but fail to respond when the shit hit the fan.
It is true also to other carriers like Emirates and Trukish.
In this case they should have been refund back the cost of the upgrade.
I have to say, Etihad seems like a really scummy airline. Between the lackluster customer service, the extremely punitive award cancellation policy, and the increasingly restrictive business fares which come with nothing (at the same cost as other airlines)... not sure I'd be thrilled to be flying with them...
and that's before we discuss the UAE's complicity in the Sudan catastrophe...
Terrible compensation indeed, but neither airlines nor cruise lines are being particularly generous with compensation these days. They provide the bare minimum knowing that there is strong demand for luxury products and they don't have to do much to keep their customers.
I sort of agree but disagree they don't have to do much. The demand for luxury travel has grown the options and choice is abundant, particularly on routes and sailings that are popular. Free agency is increasingly a good and well documented strategy. I doubt this person will ever fly Etihad again. When I don't get what I feel I deserve based on spend, I'm quick to 'fire' the company and that is usually easier...
I sort of agree but disagree they don't have to do much. The demand for luxury travel has grown the options and choice is abundant, particularly on routes and sailings that are popular. Free agency is increasingly a good and well documented strategy. I doubt this person will ever fly Etihad again. When I don't get what I feel I deserve based on spend, I'm quick to 'fire' the company and that is usually easier than expected and usually (always) we find something better in the end. That said there are plenty of us out there whose expectations may be too high at times