I got a response from Etihad within hours of posting this message. I am happy that my issues are being addressed which was the intention of my post.
Our ref: 132286
31 March 2013
Dear Mr ,
Thank you for your correspondence.
As Etihad completes the switching of the reservations system all aspects of the business are being impacted. Unfortunately this has resulted in a delay in our response to you. Please accept our apology and we thank you for your patience.
On 19 February our flight EY281 from Kochi to Abu Dhabi was cancelled due to a technical issue.
Our guests have every right to expect punctuality from Etihad and I can assure that we do everything we can to maintain good performance. However, sometimes unforeseen circumstances prevent us from operating our flights on schedule.
I am sure you can appreciate that safety of our guests and crew is of paramount importance and something we would never compromise.
I regret that the delay caused a knock on effect, resulting in you missing your onward connection from Abu Dhabi to Chicago.
In a flight disruption situation, our staff are instructed to offer all assistance feasible to passengers in an attempt to alleviate inconvenience. We have earned a reputation worldwide for our friendliness and customer focused approach. During these challenging circumstances our priority was to reduce the inconvenience to our customers and to ensure comfort during an unavoidable situation.
Our records confirm that you were rebooked to travel from Kochi to Abu Dhabi the following day with an onward connection to Chicago, which was the first available flight to complete your journey and was provided Hotel accommodation.
I have however noted your dissatisfaction with how the situation was handled and we do regret that this was the case. I have forwarded a copy of your correspondence to Kochi Airport Manager for their review of your assessment of the service received with a view to improving the same.
We are not insensitive to your concerns and we appreciate you taking the time and trouble to write to us in respect of the difficulties you experienced. Only by receiving such feedback will we be aware of where we are getting things right, and where there is room for improvement.
That said, it is never our intention to leave our Guests feeling unhappy with the services provided. With this in mind, and as a purely goodwill gesture I would like to offer you and your family members, who travelled, 20,000 Etihad Guest miles each, to be credited to your Etihad Guest Accounts. These miles can be used towards future flights, upgrades, and a whole host of other opportunities, including over 6000 items on our Etihad Guest Reward shop.
I trust that you will accept them as an extension of our apology for your experience on this occasion. If you have not already joined the programme, this can be done by enrolling on our website
www.etihadguest.com . Once done, please advise your Etihad Guest numbers to enable us to credit your accounts accordingly.
Finally, I do appreciate that your experience on this occasion was not as you, or indeed we would have liked. Disruptions are inconvenient and unpleasant and I am sorry that you were caught up in this situation. Your feedback has confirmed that certain aspects of this cancellation was not handled as well as they could have been and I can offer no excuses for this, or for the fact that we did not meet your expectations. One thing we have learned however, is that communication is a very important part of any disruption, and this observation will be implemented in any future strategic plans should a similar situation occur.
We value your support and hope that the isolated sequence of events you have described do not deter you from flying with us in the future.
Yours sincerely,
Guest Affairs Officer