Etihad - Good service, or a con?

[usual suspect]

I've used Etihad for 4-5 yrs now..good flight times to/from Manchester, good price, and less time waiting on rtn flight than Emerates.
Nearly always on flights before the wait in A/D was 1-2 hrs...the A/D-BKK leg of the flight has on it passengers from Manchester, Heathrow and Paris..all these flights have had to be processed in A/B before leaving..hence delays are probable.
The flight I took in Nov '10 showed cut-backs in place..now get a glass of wine..not the small bottles anymore.
Coffee is served in paper cups, plastic cutlery, many TV units in seats not working..defo feels like 'Economy'.
..standards falling..

[Big Boy]

the A/D-BKK leg of the flight has on it passengers from Manchester, Heathrow and Paris..all these flights have had to be processed in A/B before leaving..hence delays are probable. (

You've hit the nail on the head there. The deciding factor on choosing my wife's carrier was stop over time, despite it costing £60 more. If these delays are probable (and every Etihad flight was delayed by at least an hour yesterday, while other carriers were leaving on time), then they are getting additional trade by mis-selling their product.

Why not be honest, and add an extra hour to the advertised stop over time? Of course, that would put them on a par with other Middle Eastern carriers.

[thehamok]

I've travelled with Etihad a number of times over the years Ireland - Abu Dhabi - Bangkok and return with no problems.

I too like the idea of having 1 to 2 hours break in the trip.