Etihad charged me £1600 at the desk to take 3 suitcases to Australia! How can I get my money back?

Pollycat

Voyager2002 said:

Pollycat said:

BaggageBetrayal said:

gmc99a said:

Yesterday my niece booked a holiday via Loveholidays to Abu Dhabi with economy tickets with Etihad.

When the confirmation came through it showed that she had got "Economy Basic" so no luggage allowance.

When she phone Etihad she was told it would cost £1,300 for the suitcases.   

This is for a trip that is not booked to take place until October.

Since this was noticed on the same day as the booking I think the airline is being unreasonable here.

She is currently in contact with Loveholidays about this but who knows what can be done.

My advice after this experience is to either use a third party baggage shipping company. It is not as cheap as having bags included at time of booking but significantly cheaper than paying with Etihad. Make sure to send a few days in advance. Or dont take luggage and buy it all there. Unfortunately accepting that it's going to cost a fortune and just moving on is the least stressful way to deal with it. The airline won't help. It's a rotten money making scam that is making them a fortune. 

It's not a scam at all.
It's a mistake you made.

BaggageBetrayal said:

gmc99a said:

Yesterday my niece booked a holiday via Loveholidays to Abu Dhabi with economy tickets with Etihad.

When the confirmation came through it showed that she had got "Economy Basic" so no luggage allowance.

When she phone Etihad she was told it would cost £1,300 for the suitcases.   

This is for a trip that is not booked to take place until October.

Since this was noticed on the same day as the booking I think the airline is being unreasonable here.

She is currently in contact with Loveholidays about this but who knows what can be done.

Your other option might be to cancel the flight completely if you can get a refund and book it again, but I doubt it will let you with the cursed Economy Basic ticket.  

I think you still don't get it.

It's not a "cursed Economy Basic ticket".
It's a cheaper alternative IF you don't want to take hold luggage and if you are 100% sure that you will not want to make changes or to cancel.

Etihad website makes it very clear:

Basic

GBP335

For all guests 

Continue

• 1x 7kg cabin baggage only

525miles per guest525 tier miles per guest.

Eligible to upgrade

Change not permitted

Refund not permitted

Free seats

Priority Access

So your advice in bold is useless because if someone has already booked a BASIC ticket, there is no option to cancel and get a refund. There is no doubt whatsoever.

You just need to read what the conditions are for the ticket you are buying.
Unfortunately for you - you didn't.

The ticket was purchased through a third party that did not give information about the conditions.

That is the real scandal. It's another lesson not to use 3rd parties to buy flight tickets.

And the ticket was purchased from a third party that allegedly did not give information about the conditions.

As for "scandal", according to earlier posts, Expedia now give conditions on individual level of tickets.
And according to earlier posts, Etihad's ticket policy has been in use for quite a few years - maybe since 2020..

The OP said they 'recently booked a flight'.

I find it hard to believe that Expedia changed their website between the date of that booking and the date of the 1st reply to the thread that gave a screenshot of what Expedia show. i.e. basic ticket has NO hold luggage.

If that Etihad fare structure has been in place for 5 years, there would have been many more complaints that I believe would have led to Expedia changing how they display flights much earlier than 2025.
That's just my opinion though.

I'm all for standing up when someone has been scammed but in this instance, I can see no scam. Nor scandal.
Just user error.

BaggageBetrayal

Pollycat said:

Voyager2002 said:

Pollycat said:

BaggageBetrayal said:

gmc99a said:

Yesterday my niece booked a holiday via Loveholidays to Abu Dhabi with economy tickets with Etihad.

When the confirmation came through it showed that she had got "Economy Basic" so no luggage allowance.

When she phone Etihad she was told it would cost £1,300 for the suitcases.   

This is for a trip that is not booked to take place until October.

Since this was noticed on the same day as the booking I think the airline is being unreasonable here.

She is currently in contact with Loveholidays about this but who knows what can be done.

My advice after this experience is to either use a third party baggage shipping company. It is not as cheap as having bags included at time of booking but significantly cheaper than paying with Etihad. Make sure to send a few days in advance. Or dont take luggage and buy it all there. Unfortunately accepting that it's going to cost a fortune and just moving on is the least stressful way to deal with it. The airline won't help. It's a rotten money making scam that is making them a fortune. 

It's not a scam at all.
It's a mistake you made.

BaggageBetrayal said:

gmc99a said:

Yesterday my niece booked a holiday via Loveholidays to Abu Dhabi with economy tickets with Etihad.

When the confirmation came through it showed that she had got "Economy Basic" so no luggage allowance.

When she phone Etihad she was told it would cost £1,300 for the suitcases.   

This is for a trip that is not booked to take place until October.

Since this was noticed on the same day as the booking I think the airline is being unreasonable here.

She is currently in contact with Loveholidays about this but who knows what can be done.

Your other option might be to cancel the flight completely if you can get a refund and book it again, but I doubt it will let you with the cursed Economy Basic ticket.  

I think you still don't get it.

It's not a "cursed Economy Basic ticket".
It's a cheaper alternative IF you don't want to take hold luggage and if you are 100% sure that you will not want to make changes or to cancel.

Etihad website makes it very clear:

Basic

GBP335

For all guests 

Continue

• 1x 7kg cabin baggage only

525miles per guest525 tier miles per guest.

Eligible to upgrade

Change not permitted

Refund not permitted

Free seats

Priority Access

So your advice in bold is useless because if someone has already booked a BASIC ticket, there is no option to cancel and get a refund. There is no doubt whatsoever.

You just need to read what the conditions are for the ticket you are buying.
Unfortunately for you - you didn't.

The ticket was purchased through a third party that did not give information about the conditions.

That is the real scandal.

It's another lesson not to use 3rd parties to buy flight tickets.

And the ticket was purchased from a third party that allegedly did not give information about the conditions.

As for "scandal", according to earlier posts, Expedia now give conditions on individual level of tickets.
And according to earlier posts, Etihad's ticket policy has been in use for quite a few years - maybe since 2020..

The OP said they 'recently booked a flight'.

I find it hard to believe that Expedia changed their website between the date of that booking and the date of the 1st reply to the thread that gave a screenshot of what Expedia show. i.e. basic ticket has NO hold luggage.

If that Etihad fare structure has been in place for 5 years, there would have been many more complaints that I believe would have led to Expedia changing how they display flights much earlier than 2025.
That's just my opinion though.

I'm all for standing up when someone has been scammed but in this instance, I can see no scam. Nor scandal.
Just user error.

I've came to the same conclusion that it is my error (legally). I did not see anything about baggage when booking to ticket. Does this mean it wasn't displayed with Expedia? I doubt it now too. All I know is that I didn't see it, why would I have booked it otherwise. The fact that it's not shown anywhere on the "immediate" booking information was frustrating. Yes of course I could have gone deeper and found it, but again, I didn't.

A point to clarify is that this pricing has not been in place for 5 years for this route. I checked my records and flew with them same time last year (and previous years) and this was the first time this applied (otherwise I would have learned the lesson 5 years ago). 

The scam / scandal in my opinion is subtle but very much real. They market this ticket as a cheaper way to travel removing some of the perks you expect. It saves you approximately £20 on a £2000 ticket (1%). I've yet to meet anyone who takes a weekend trip to Australia who would benefit from this. They know people look for the cheapest price, sometimes, as in my case, without noticing what it doesn't include. The only benefit that I see for this ticket is to the airline when people are complacent and get caught out. THEN they have free reign to up the price by 2400% (the "discounted rate") and 3200% if you don't notice in advance. THAT is the scam. If it was double or even 10 times the price, it would be annoying but I doubt I would have wanted to take it further. They are making an absolute killing from this super helpful cheaper ticket.

People make mistakes, and always will, and this ticket makes a lot of money off of it. The whole experience has left me feeling scammed because I've paid over £2000 in baggage both ways for something that cost the airline no more than £60.

MeteredOut

BaggageBetrayal said:

soolin said:

Just another question really as I follow baggage threads with interest as things change every few weeks it seems. If you thought you had luggage included how did  you decide what your weight allowance was when you packed, bearing in mind that some airlines now start their basic paid for hold baggage at 15kg? I always take a checked bag but have to double check if I’m using an unfamiliar airline as to whether I have 15kg, 20kg or 23kg allowed, it’s no longer possible for me just to book a case and assume I can guess what weight I’m allowed. 

We googled it "what's the baggage allowance for Etihad economy" (our ticket said only Economy and not any of the Economy tiers) and it said 23kg. Our heaviest bag was 19kg so didn't think any more about it unfortunately. 

It sounds like trusting the google results compounded your initial booking mistake, especially if you used the AI summary which can, and does, make mistakes too. It even tells you this.

Pollycat

BaggageBetrayal said:

I've came to the same conclusion that it is my error (legally). I did not see anything about baggage when booking to ticket. Does this mean it wasn't displayed with Expedia? I doubt it now too. All I know is that I didn't see it, why would I have booked it otherwise. The fact that it's not shown anywhere on the "immediate" booking information was frustrating. Yes of course I could have gone deeper and found it, but again, I didn't.

A point to clarify is that this pricing has not been in place for 5 years for this route. I checked my records and flew with them same time last year (and previous years) and this was the first time this applied (otherwise I would have learned the lesson 5 years ago). 

The scam / scandal in my opinion is subtle but very much real. They market this ticket as a cheaper way to travel removing some of the perks you expect. It saves you approximately £20 on a £2000 ticket (1%). I've yet to meet anyone who takes a weekend trip to Australia who would benefit from this. They know people look for the cheapest price, sometimes, as in my case, without noticing what it doesn't include. The only benefit that I see for this ticket is to the airline when people are complacent and get caught out. THEN they have free reign to up the price by 2400% (the "discounted rate") and 3200% if you don't notice in advance. THAT is the scam. If it was double or even 10 times the price, it would be annoying but I doubt I would have wanted to take it further. They are making an absolute killing from this super helpful cheaper ticket.

People make mistakes, and always will, and this ticket makes a lot of money off of it. The whole experience has left me feeling scammed because I've paid over £2000 in baggage both ways for something that cost the airline no more than £60.

I'm glad you've acknowledged that you made a mistake.
However, because you failed to notice a key condition of the tickets you bought, it doesn't mean that Etihad are operating a scam.
We will probably have to disagree on this but lots of other posters don't see it as a scam either.

The basic economy ticket may suit some people.
Just because your tickets were to halfway round the world doesn't mean that other people may want to take hold luggage for that route or for a shorter trip.

I never look for the cheapest price.
I look for the best deal. The deal that suits me and how I want to travel.

Lots of people travel with hand luggage only.
It's how the airline industry works now.

MeteredOut said:

BaggageBetrayal said:

soolin said:

Just another question really as I follow baggage threads with interest as things change every few weeks it seems. If you thought you had luggage included how did  you decide what your weight allowance was when you packed, bearing in mind that some airlines now start their basic paid for hold baggage at 15kg? I always take a checked bag but have to double check if I’m using an unfamiliar airline as to whether I have 15kg, 20kg or 23kg allowed, it’s no longer possible for me just to book a case and assume I can guess what weight I’m allowed. 

We googled it "what's the baggage allowance for Etihad economy" (our ticket said only Economy and not any of the Economy tiers) and it said 23kg. Our heaviest bag was 19kg so didn't think any more about it unfortunately. 

It sounds like trusting the google results compounded your initial booking mistake, especially if you used the AI summary which can, and does, make mistakes too. It even tells you this.

Out of interest, I Googled what the OP did i.e.

what's the baggage allowance for Etihad economy

and the first hit (AI) said

For Economy class on Etihad Airways, the checked baggage allowance is up to 23kg per passenger. This includes one bag per passenger. You can carry one cabin bag (up to 7kg) and one personal item (up to 5kg), for a total of 12kg of cabin baggage. 

Note the "up to..."

2nd hit:

23kg each

23kg each in Economy. 32kg each in Business, First and The Residence.

Then the Etihad website - which I would have opted for:

Baggage Allowance - Calculator, Policy - Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways

https://www.etihad.com › help › baggage-information

FAQ says:

Frequently asked questions

How many bags can I check in?

I’ve booked a Basic fare. Can I take any checked baggage?

Our Basic fare does not include any checked baggage allowance. If you’re an Etihad Guest member, any free checked baggage allowance benefits will not apply. 

Clear as day.

However, as the OP didn't know they'd booked a basic fare, Google (and Etihad) couldn't give an accurate answer.

I hope that, at the very least, this thread will help others not to make the same mistake, regardless of whether they book direct with the airline or via a 3rd party.

BaggageBetrayal

However, because you failed to notice a key condition of the tickets you bought, it doesn't mean that Etihad are operating a scam.

Just to clarify, I don’t believe that selling a ticket without checked baggage is, in itself, a scam. The issue is the excessive cost of adding a bag after you’ve bought the ticket. Maybe “scam” isn’t the right word, “price gouging” feels more accurate.

Interestingly, price gouging is actually illegal in some U.S. states, and Etihad’s baggage policy for flights to the U.S. is… a 23kg bag for $140. Coincidence? Maybe. But I know I’d have much preferred that option to £1600. 

Out of interest, I Googled what the OP did i.e.

It's a moot point really. Once you have that ticket and you want to add a bag you're subject to their extortionate rates (unless you're flying to a state where price gouging is illegal of course .

MeteredOut

BaggageBetrayal said:

Out of interest, I Googled what the OP did i.e.

It's a moot point really. Once you have that ticket and you want to add a bag you're subject to their extortionate rates (unless you're flying to a state where price gouging is illegal of course .

Are you saying that once you've bought an Economy Basic ticket, there is no way to add baggage other than waiting until you get to the airport and paying those excessive fees?

And if so, is that only if booking via a 3rd party rather than directly?

Hoenir

BaggageBetrayal said:

It's a moot point really. Once you have that ticket and you want to add a bag you're subject to their extortionate rates (unless you're flying to a state where price gouging is illegal of course .

To the lay person it's just a bag. To the airline and it's sub-contractors it's potentially far more hassle.  

BaggageBetrayal

MeteredOut said:

BaggageBetrayal said:

Out of interest, I Googled what the OP did i.e.

It's a moot point really. Once you have that ticket and you want to add a bag you're subject to their extortionate rates (unless you're flying to a state where price gouging is illegal of course .

Are you saying that once you've bought an Economy Basic ticket, there is no way to add baggage other than waiting until you get to the airport and paying those excessive fees?

And if so, is that only if booking via a 3rd party rather than directly?

No, once you've bought the Economy Basic ticket you can book in advance for a 2400% increase in fee (compared to buying a different ticket including one bag) or at the airport for a 3200% increase in fee. Where you booked doesn't make a difference.  This is unless you fly to USA or Canada where the fee is only $140 for an extra bag.  

Pollycat

BaggageBetrayal said:

MeteredOut said:

BaggageBetrayal said:

Out of interest, I Googled what the OP did i.e.

It's a moot point really. Once you have that ticket and you want to add a bag you're subject to their extortionate rates (unless you're flying to a state where price gouging is illegal of course .

Are you saying that once you've bought an Economy Basic ticket, there is no way to add baggage other than waiting until you get to the airport and paying those excessive fees?

And if so, is that only if booking via a 3rd party rather than directly?

No, once you've bought the Economy Basic ticket you can book in advance for a 2400% increase in fee (compared to buying a different ticket including one bag) or at the airport for a 3200% increase in fee. Where you booked doesn't make a difference.  This is unless you fly to USA or Canada where the fee is only $140 for an extra bag.  

You just need to book the ticket that suits you most.
You didn't.
Etihad's rules regarding USA and Canada are irrelevant. 
You were flying to Australia.

Emily_Joy

Pollycat said:

You just need to book the ticket that suits you most.
You didn't.
Etihad's rules regarding USA and Canada are irrelevant. 
You were flying to Australia.

I don't think robotically repeating guilt-inflicting "you made a mistake, you assumed, you have not checked properly" is of any help to those who already bought a ticket. 

I am wondering however, whether it might be cheaper to buy another ticket with extra luggage instead of paying 1600GBP fee? In other words, would it be an option to buy another ticket for the OP's spouse with two extra suitcases, and having the children to fly with 7kg allowance?

And yes, I have just come back from a fortnight long trip to Australia where I took cabin bag only with me.

Incidentally, I would be interested in knowing why people choose to book with a 3rd party instead of the airline?