What compensation is fair from airline when you have a shocking flight???

[ALT]

I flew Etihad from Sydney to London return in business class. Flight from Sydney to Abu Dhabi (14 hours) was plagued with electrical problems in our section of the plane. For most of the flight (over 10 hours) we did not have any power: no lights, no video, no radio, no power for a laptop, unable to automatically recline seats. My wife and I were travelling with 2 young kids - it was a really unpleasant experience.
Etihad offered all of the business class passengers affected with 15,000 miles to their FF account. I declined the offer as I felt it was inadequate. We had paid 3 times the economy fare to travel in luxury - and we did not get the experience we had paid for.
I wrote to Etihad, but did not get a response. I wrote again, and still didn't get a response. Eventually I contacted their facebook customer service and was offered a 25% refund. I wrote back saying that I felt they did not provide me with the experience they offered - (reclining seats, video, power etc) and hence I feel that I should get a full refund. They declined and stuck with the 25% offer.
Is 25% refund a fare compensation?

 

[SeatBackForward]

My two cents but I think you'd only be entitled to a full refund if they didn't get you to your destination and back - but sounds like at least 50% of the journey was as promised.

 

[awilcockson]

I'd take the 25% refund and be happy, technically they don't have to give you anything.

 

[SeatBackForward]

My two cents but I think you'd only be entitled to a full refund if they didn't get you to your destination and back - but sounds like at least 50% of the journey was as promised.

Actually having re-read the post, it was the SYD-AUH leg that had problems. So you could arguably say that was the 25% of the trip.

 

[harvyk]

Actually having re-read the post, it was the SYD-AUH leg that had problems. So you could arguably say that was the 25% of the trip.

I was going to write a post about how to take companies to fair trading, but your right, SYD-AUH is 25% of the overall trip, and if the refund is 25% of the overall price, then I'd say it's reasonable.

 

[anat0l]

I flew Etihad from Sydney to London return in business class. Flight from Sydney to Abu Dhabi (14 hours) was plagued with electrical problems in our section of the plane. For most of the flight (over 10 hours) we did not have any power: no lights, no video, no radio, no power for a laptop, unable to automatically recline seats. My wife and I were travelling with 2 young kids - it was a really unpleasant experience.
Etihad offered all of the business class passengers affected with 15,000 miles to their FF account. I declined the offer as I felt it was inadequate. We had paid 3 times the economy fare to travel in luxury - and we did not get the experience we had paid for.
I wrote to Etihad, but did not get a response. I wrote again, and still didn't get a response. Eventually I contacted their facebook customer service and was offered a 25% refund. I wrote back saying that I felt they did not provide me with the experience they offered - (reclining seats, video, power etc) and hence I feel that I should get a full refund. They declined and stuck with the 25% offer.
Is 25% refund a fare compensation?

Welcome to AFF, ALT.

As some have said, technically Etihad don't have to give you anything, though in goodwill it is good that they did make an offering.

I am assuming that it was only the Sydney - Abu Dhabi flight which was not satisfactory. All the other flights were fine.

In this case, it would hardly be proper to claim a full refund on your return fare just because one sector (out of four) was at fault.

25% is probably fair, if not generous. That is one sector out of four of your flights. 10 hours out of the total journey is about 20% of your entire flying with Etihad, so getting a 25% refund in that respect is probably good.


If you don't think that is fair, you can try writing a firm but level-headed letter and posting it to Etihad, with a justification as to what is fair compensation and why you think this is so, and see how you go. Certainly your legal options for claiming more compensation are limited. Maybe you can edge out another 5% (not really, but that's my s-t-r-e-t-c-h guess); I think 50% isn't feasible.

You could also do yourself a favour in translating your dissatisfaction to actions via your wallet.

 

[ALT]

Thanks for the feedback and I can see your logic. However, I don't consider Sydney to Abu Dhabi as 25% of the journey. Sydney to Abu Dhabi is 14 hours, Abu Dhabi to London is just over 6 hours. I will fly Business Class on long journeys, but on shorter journeys I am OK to fly economy, so being without power from Abu Dhabi to London would not have been the same inconvenience as Sydney to Abu Dhabi.

 

[SeatBackForward]

Ok but on your SYD-AUH leg you still did get:

* wider seats with more legroom
* business class service
* business class meals and drinks
* access to lounges/priority boarding etc.
* reclining business seats (albeit manually?)

I'm sure the crew were apologetic about it too, I doubt they told you to put and suffer..The frustration is understandable, but they are offering you what i'd consider fair compensation.

 

[anat0l]

Thanks for the feedback and I can see your logic. However, I don't consider Sydney to Abu Dhabi as 25% of the journey. Sydney to Abu Dhabi is 14 hours, Abu Dhabi to London is just over 6 hours. I will fly Business Class on long journeys, but on shorter journeys I am OK to fly economy, so being without power from Abu Dhabi to London would not have been the same inconvenience as Sydney to Abu Dhabi.

So your return journey is: (14 h + 6 h) * 2 = 20 h * 2 = 40 hours in total.

10 out of those 40 hours is 25%. If you want to be pedantic, 14 out of 40 hours is 35%. Add on a "premium" because the longer legs hold weighting and let's conservatively set a range now of anything between 25 - 40%.

Still not a full refund, but feel free to use that working to support an increase in the compensation demanded.

Your entire itinerary was not compromised and there was no gross negligence of a moral or criminal kind so I can't see the reasoning in demanding a full refund. As SeatBackForward alluded to, it was also that your entire flight was not an absolute shambles.

(Note that the assumption here is that you flew Business on all four legs (Sydney - Abu Dhabi - London and back))

 

[MatF]

I'd take the 25% and worry about more important things, to be honest.

 

[ashleyn]

Take the money and run ALT.

 

[mella2007]

Take it while they're still offering you something

 

[boylero]

I dont know how many times I have flown business and had elctrical issues, I have never to date claimed anything

 

[elbarto]

Take it and run while it's still on the table. You're lucky they didn't withdraw it completely when you counter offered. And it seems as if the problem was beyond the crews control as it occurred during the flight.

 

[Moopere]

Wow. I'm really surprised by the comments of 'technically nothing' or similar. I see this as broken contract and therefore completely up for negotiation between the parties.

It can be difficult where a flight did complete (and wasn't cancelled), but in the background of the existing discussion with the airline I'd feel out the CC provider in relation to a charge-back. If you are successful with a charge-back it puts you in a much better bargaining position. In my mind a service was provided, but the contractual breakdown was that the service _sold_ was not provided. So, probably some common ground in paying something for the leg that was affected but how much really depends on the two parties negotiating it out.

If you feel you got an economy product, on balance, then I'd pay that. If you felt it was below even economy (and be fair in your mind about this) then sure, negotiate for less.

 

[Pleb Status]

Wow. I'm really surprised by the comments of 'technically nothing' or similar. I see this as broken contract and therefore completely up for negotiation between the parties.

I believe the only thing the 'actual' Contract states is that the airline has to get you from A to B. I believe how they do it, when they do it, what they supply, what they do not supply etc are all subject to change and/or availability in the Contract. This is why you cannot sue them for being late, putting you on another carrier, not supplying something etc. So I think you may find that EY have actually satified their 'contractural' requirements in full. What they decide to offer due to issues experienced during the flight is really a marketing exercise rather than a contractural requirement.

On the original topic, I would take the 25% and run. This is far more than generous as they still got you there in a business class seat and only one of four sectors was affected.

 

[Moopere]

I believe the only thing the 'actual' Contract states is that the airline has to get you from A to B. I believe how they do it, when they do it, what they supply, what they do not supply etc are all subject to change and/or availability in the Contract. This is why you cannot sue them for being late, putting you on another carrier, not supplying something etc. So I think you may find that EY have actually satified their 'contractural' requirements in full. What they decide to offer due to issues experienced during the flight is really a marketing exercise rather than a contractural requirement.

I'm not sure about that. If correct, then J and F ticket purchasers are simply buying a raffle ticket not a contracted level of service and may or may not receive what they think they are paying for.

I'm fairly certain that the A-B transport theory wouldn't get very far if you took them to court. I think the A-B argument holds more water when one buys a minimum service level ticket ... but even then I reckon there is usually room for argument if things go terribly wrong.

 

[Pleb Status]

I'm not sure about that. If correct, then J and F ticket purchasers are simply buying a raffle ticket not a contracted level of service and may or may not receive what they think they are paying for.

There is nothing in the Contract which states the airline MUST put you in the class you paid for. This is why they can overbook W/J/F if they choose. The only thing they must do is get you from A to B (or refund your fare).

The Contract does normally say you will get some sort of compensation for an involuntary downgrade however.

In this case, the OP travelled in the correct class so the Contract was satisfied in full. Also, the issue experienced by the OP could be ruled to be out of the control of the carrier, further relieving them of any responsibility for compensation under the Contract.

 

[sutho58]

given that the original question is "what is sufficient compensation?" and the masses have spoken.. 25% it is..

(wish JG would learn for this)

 

[lovestotravel]

A 25% refund is pretty good in this case

While it doesn't make up for the issues you encountered, it's a pretty good offer