[Anonymous]

[pat0406]

I am a Gold Card Etihad Guest member. I find every time I now book a flight on the Etihad Airways web-site, especially flying out of Dublin via AUH to Sydney, I always end up with at least two of the flight segments being code shared with Virgin Australia. This ‘agreement’ I have found to be fraught with difficulties. Not only is VA a far inferior product offered both on the ground and inflight , than Etihad itself, but even more so for frequent fliers. It is a nightmare to try and get the rightly due Flown and Tier miles from VA for these code-shared flights and I have yet in the eight or so flights completed with Virgin, to have had those same said due miles accrued automatically into my Etihad Gold Guest account. I have always had to follow up on same via Etihad customer service centre, each and every time, to get those same-said due Tier and Flown miles, with much time and energy and frustration expended!!! Also, even though they, Virgin are obliged to be reciprocal with Etihad with higher tier eg Gold Card members, they never seem to recognise same. I have yet to be offered priority boarding, Fast Track passes for immigration at Sydney, and have even had to ask for invite to shared lounge access at the Air NZ lounge at Sydney Airport. The Check in agent didnt ‘think’ I was entitled to same! A phone call to her supervisor and my reluctance to move, convinced her! I dont like flying VA, and dread when I see it on my Etihad booking, as it is always fraught with hassle at the time, and later when trying to retrieve accrued ffp miles! Please Etihad get a grip, and sever that tie…..or lose customers like myself, to the more professional tie up that is Emirates and Qantas !!! Robert Patrick Donovan in Dublin

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