Etihad Compensation

[flyfl]

Hi, I booked a flight with Etihad through VA from Melbourne to Istanbul and a separate flight with a different airline to central Asia as Etihad doesn't fly there. The original flight from Melbourne got cancelled and a new flight was arranged 18 hours later and this resulted in me missing my flight from Istanbul to Central Asia. I only had a 9 hour overlay in Istanbul for my next flight.
The airline in Istanbul refused to rearrange my flight and asked me to book a new ticket and this was super expensive as per my original itinerary and I booked one to a different city for a reasonable price.
I lodged a feedback for compensation with Etihad and after 8 months they have come back and said they will only compensate me for the accommodation and meal in Melbourne and any other expenses incurred isn't their responsibility. I have sent them a link to ACCC website and highlighted that their responsibility doesn't stop where they feel like it, however this has fallen on deaf ears.

What are my options now and what avenue should I take, am I wasting my time taking this to small claims tribunal or other government bodies?

 

[encryptededdy]

Unfortunately to my knowledge Etihad is correct and they don't have to compensate you for your seperate ticket.

 

[stm1sydney]

This is where travel insurance comes in.

 

[flyfl]

Thanks for the responses.
I am new to this and haven't dealt with cancelled flights in the past. Isn't it the airline's responsibility if they cancel the flight and as a result you miss your connecting flight? And regardless of whether or not you have travel insurance?

 

[stm1sydney]

No. If you bought a separate ticket for the connecting flight, you are on your own. If the flights are on the one ticket, then yes.

 

[flyfl]

Ok, they don't fly to the destination so it wasn't a possibility.

 

[goldenhorn]

Did you not have travel insurance?

 

[flyfl]

Did you not have travel insurance?

I had through a credit card which ad $300 excess fee and I didn't bother with it because the Etihad ground staff assured me it would all get compensated.

 

[Thibault]

Unfortunately, you've 'signed' two different contracts :

One with EY - that got delayed - you then got accommodated to your final destination albeit later
Second with the other airline.

This is the risk when booking two different tickets/connections.
EY fulfilled their contract by flying you to Istanbul - with a delay.

Travel insurance would be your next avenue to try to get something if you are covered - but unsure if you can claim 8 months later.

 

[flyfl]

Unfortunately, you've 'signed' two different contracts :

One with EY - that got delayed - you then got accommodated to your final destination albeit later
Second with the other airline.

This is the risk when booking two different tickets/connections.
EY fulfilled their contract by flying you to Istanbul - with a delay.

Travel insurance would be your next avenue to try to get something if you are covered - but unsure if you can claim 8 months later.

Unfortunately I can not claim because I closed the credit card.
I will take this as an expensive learning experience.

Etihad is a terrible airline the way they handled the original flight cancellation and the subsequent reschedule and the overall experience.
We were stuck on the tarmac for 4 hours and nothing was offered in refreshment or even getting water was a task.

We were asked to get off the plane past midnight and they had no idea what to do with us, even the immigration guys only two of them by the way had no idea what to do.

The ground staff told us we had to find our own accommodation and that they would call us when the next flight is scheduled which would likely be around the same time (evening) the next day, but they never called, and lucky that I checked my email the next day to find the flight is scheduled at 2:30PM and rushed to the airport again.

The seats were very cramped and worse than the domestic airlines, service was very unorganised and terrible food.

 

[trooper]

Thibault and others have explained it well however it may have been better had they not included the words "connections" and "connecting" Might be useful to note that at NO point did you have "connecting flights". You had two entirely separate bookings. Expensive lesson indeed. Now, a great many of us DO book that way...the cost savings can be excellent... but it's best to build in a significant time buffer (overnight?) between these separate bookings. Even then you might still very occasionally get bitten... hopefully the savings over time will balance out the occasional expensive fail.

 

[stm1sydney]

We look forward to your trip report on the Central Asia destination!

 

[UP4014]

Can Etihad put yo on an earlier flight? Another day off work and hotel en route might be cheaper as you don't mention the ticket prices.

 

[flyfl]

We look forward to your trip report on the Central Asia destination!

Hi, central Asia was awesome in every way, I am a bit adventures and don't worry much about being out of my comfort zone. The main issue was the language and I wish I could speak some basic Russian and that would have helped everywhere in central Asia no matter which country.

Central Asia is cheap to travel there and it is safe, people are nice and helpful and food was amazing if you are into Kebabs mostly. Tashkent the capital of Uzbekistan is a modern city and has lots of western cafes/bars and restaurants and so does Dushanbe the capital of Tajikistan.
Uzbekistan has some beautiful historical places all over the country mainly minarets and other monuments. Tajikistan on the other hand has natural beauty.

Kyrgyzstan is also blessed with natural beauty and overall people are nice and friendly but doesn't have the same vibe as Uzbekistan or Tajikistan and there are scams in the capital Bishkek where real or fake cops in plain clothes show up pretending to be undercover and trying to accuse you of carrying drugs and take your money, but I made a scene and tried to video record them and they ran away, this was in the middle of the day on a busy road and they thought I would probably just keep quiet.

Kazakhstan is also a beautiful and massive country, people are very nice and helpful and didn't have any issues in Kazakhstan.

Travelling in central asia is very easy and safe, Aus passport holders get a 30days visa on arrival at most international border crossings.

I only had mastercards with me and it was a pain in Tajikistan as mastercard doesn't get accepted anywhere except two ATMs, one in the capital Dushanbe and the other in their second largest city Khujand.

You can't exchange your AUD anywhere and have to have Euro or USD, however taking money out of ATMs wasn't an issue at all in other countries except Tajikistan.