[Ibraheem0001]

---Etihad Airways, a nightmare of an airline---
In September last year, me and my spouse traveled to Pakistan with Etihad airways. On our way back to US, we had a layover of 27 hours at the Abu Dhabi airport, as we wanted to see the city by getting the transit visa. Unfortunately, my transit visa was rejected, so we decided to call Etihad airways (+18776900767) to talk about our long layover situation. We were told to either reschedule to make the layover short, or book the AUH hotel, which is an airside hotel so does not require a visa to stay in. We liked the 2nd option, as it didn’t involve the $200 reschedule fee, and went ahead to book the AUH hotel.
Before the day of departure, we were able to smoothly check into our flight and got the seats assigned. I also received email confirmation from Etihad that said below text that I quote as is. “Thanks, you’re checked in! Digital boarding passes aren’t accepted at the airport you’re flying from, but you can collect your boarding pass at any of our online check-in counters.” This statement is a testimony that no further paperwork or procedure was required for us to board the plane, in fact, if digital boarding passes were accepted at LHE airport, those would have been issued to us right away. Shockingly however, we were denied boarding at Lahore Airport on the day of departure and were told that we needed a transit visa as our layover was more than 24h. The only option would be to reschedule this flight and incur the reschedule fee + the no show fee + the cost difference. As we had no choice, we reluctantly paid PKR 360k (~$1290) and scheduled our departure from Lahore for the next day.
I was really upset and immediately lodged a complaint with Etihad, as I had thoroughly researched the requirements beforehand. Here is a summary:
1) I confirmed with Zayed International Airport, and there was no 24-hour transit visa requirement.
2) I contacted the UAE embassy (+12124197670), and they clarified that a visa is only needed if crossing immigration, not based on the layover duration
3) The closest reference to a 24h rule was on the IATA website, which states that layovers over 24h require either a transit visa or a confirmed airside hotel booking. Etihad airways also refer to the IATA website for any travel requirements and considers this the standard. So, what I assume is that they were not aware that the 24h requirement is waived if you have an airside hotel booking.
4) I even called Etihad airways again (+19143038393) and they said I did not need a transit visa if I had the AUH hotel booking (I recorded that call as well). However, the online help does not have the authority, compensation is handled only via email by [email protected]. So I patiently waited for the agent I was talking to over email to handle my case.
The most frustrating thing however was that, when I pointed this out to the agent, they told me that AUH hotel is not an airside hotel (lol, anybody can google this right now and confirm that it is). Then they closed my complaint with this response.
I opened another complaint and long story short, had the same discussion. The agent attending my case did not even respond when I told them that I had a booking at AUH hotel but rather kept repeating that it’s the customer’s responsibility to have necessary documents.
This is a very clever way to gaslight a customer, but they forgot that the responsibility here is for “necessary documents” i.e. documents that are mentioned on the official websites such as IATA. You cannot just make any document necessary without proof that it is mandatory.
The second agent also failed to provide any document stating this requirement. They kept insisting that I check with the embassy for travel requirements, yet when I did, the embassy confirmed that no such requirement existed. I was genuinely shocked to see how airlines can dismiss cases by making false claims without providing a shred of evidence. Eventually, they stopped responding to my emails—likely closing the case again.
I'm certain that filing a third complaint won’t change anything, so I’m sharing this here in the hope that someone from Etihad Airways will take notice and act reasonably.
I’m also seeking legal support, as I have strong evidence to back my claim. If any of my connections know lawyers or legal professionals—or relevant contacts at Etihad Airways—please reach out or tag in this post below.
While my case may be uncommon, I’m sure there are others who have been affected (especially given the recent rise in UAE visa rejections). I encourage anyone in a similar situation to come forward. Even if you haven’t experienced this, please share this post widely. Airlines must be held accountable and can’t be allowed to operate without consequences.