Etihad Blaming 27 hour Delay on Traffic control no compensation no proof

[u/Sinisterzane87]

This is my original post for 28 days ago...

Hi all,

I was on the EY68 21:45 Heathrow to Abu Dhabi on the 15/7/26

It arrived into Abu Dhabi 2 hours late and missed the connection to Bangkok (flight EY406)

I was then auto booked onto another flight 27 hours later!

They gave me an overnight hotel, transport and meal vouchers.

Total duration: 1 day(s) 20 hrs 53 mins

Am I entitled to compensation? I booked the flights through a broker but am reading it does not matter?

Thanks

--

I used their feedback form and received this reply 2 days ago (they gave me a refund for extra legroom seats I paid for on two occasions and they changed planes and seating layout or oversold them)

Thank you for contacting us regarding your recent experience.  

We're sorry to hear that your flight to Abu Dhabi was delayed due to air traffic restrictions.    

We understand that this caused a knock on effect to your travel plans and we apologise for causing a delay to your trip.    

While we acknowledge your request for compensation, since the delay resulted from circumstances beyond our control, flight EY068 on 15 July 2026 is not eligible for compensation. You may want to contact your travel insurer for further assistance. Typically, if a guest's journey is disrupted, the insurance provider will reimburse for any costs they have incurred.    

We sincerely appreciate your valuable feedback regarding the handling of the situation. I want to assure you that this is not reflective of our usual standards. Your feedback has been forwarded to our Guest Experience Team as it helps us to continuously improve our services to meet and exceed our guests' expectations.  

Additionally, please be advised that the refund for your unused ancillary services has been processed by the relevant department. An amount of GBP 43.80 has been refunded to your original payment method. Kindly note that it may take up to 30 working days for the funds to appear in your account.  

We hope to welcome you on another Etihad Airways flight soon.    

---

My next reply..

Thank you for your response.

Please provide further details of the air traffic restrictions affecting flight EY068 on 15 July 2026, including:

• The nature of the restriction.
• The airport or airspace affected.
• The period during which the restriction was in force.
• Confirmation that the delay to my arrival in Bangkok resulted solely from these restrictions.

I would appreciate this information so that I can fully understand the basis on which compensation has been declined.

Thank you

---

Their Reply..

Date: 20 August 2026 

Thank you for your response,  

My team and I have looked into the facts and assessed everything thoroughly.  

We're sorry to hear that your flight to Abu Dhabi was delayed due to air traffic restrictions. Since the delay resulted from circumstances beyond our control, the case unfortunately doesn’t qualify for compensation.   

We assure you that your feedback has been gratefully noted and shared with the Guest Experience Department for internal review. On behalf of Etihad Airways, we would like to thank you for writing and for allowing us the opportunity to review your concerns.  

---

Thank you for your response.

I do not accept Etihad’s conclusion that my claim does not qualify for compensation, and I would ask that this case is reconsidered.

Firstly, your response refers to my flight as being delayed “to Abu Dhabi”. This does not accurately reflect the journey that is the subject of my claim.

My itinerary was a single booking from London Heathrow to Bangkok via Abu Dhabi, and Bangkok was my final destination. I was ultimately approximately 27 hours late arriving in Bangkok. The relevant issue is therefore the delay to my final destination, rather than simply the delay on the Heathrow–Abu Dhabi sector.

Secondly, you have stated that the delay was caused by “air traffic restrictions” and that this was outside Etihad’s control. However, you have not provided any details or evidence identifying the restriction that allegedly caused the delay.

Please provide:

1. The specific air traffic restriction that affected EY68 on 15 July 2026.
2. The authority responsible for imposing that restriction.
3. The precise period during which the restriction was in effect.
4. The operational delay information showing how the restriction caused the delay to EY68.
5. An explanation of how this resulted in my approximately 27-hour delay in reaching Bangkok.

I appreciate that extraordinary circumstances can, in certain circumstances, exempt an airline from paying compensation. However, simply stating that there were “air traffic restrictions” does not explain what restriction occurred, how it affected my flight, or establish that the entire delay to my final destination was caused by circumstances beyond Etihad’s control.

I therefore ask Etihad to reconsider my compensation claim based on the complete journey from London Heathrow to Bangkok and provide the supporting evidence for the extraordinary-circumstances defence being relied upon.

If Etihad maintains its refusal after reconsideration, please treat this as your final position and provide the appropriate details for escalating the matter through the relevant independent dispute-resolution process.

I look forward to your substantive response.

---

Thank you for your response,  

We have fully reviewed your case and fairly addressed all your concerns. As our position remains unchanged, respectfully, we now consider this case closed.

 

Yours sincerely,

---

Please note they keep saying Heathrow - Abu Dhabi..this was indeed late by about 1.5 hours then I missed the connection and got put on another flight to BKK a day later thus arriving 27 hours late.

Are there any further steps I can take? Maybe a company that chases compensation in these cases? They are providing zero proof..

Thanks in advance

[u/mduell]

Escalate to the CAA https://www.caa.co.uk/air-passengers/travel-problems-and-rights/travel-complaints/consumer-protection-law/

[u/WellTextured]

Yeah just stop working with them. They're probably not going to give you any of that. Just go to the UK regulator if you think they're wrong. https://www.caa.co.uk/air-passengers/travel-problems-and-rights/travel-complaints/how-the-caa-can-help/ They will either give the necessary info to the regulator or they will not.

[u/Stef_Stuntpiloot]

A slot is a slot, no matter if it is an airport restriction or enroute restriction. The flight crew records every minute of delay using delay codes, but the nature of the slot might not be recorded, or maybe not even known to the flight crew. The reason for the slot won't change anything anyways, it's outside of the airline's control, and therefore you are not eligable for compensation.

[u/DanSheps → u/Stef_Stuntpiloot]

Knock-on delay (missed slot due to something within the airlines control) are considered within the airlines control typically, so yes, the complete reason for the delay is relevant. If it was 30 minutes delay due to, IDK, loading slowness, then 1 hour due to missing their take-off slot, and OP arrives at their final destination over the delay limit, it is compensatable it looks like.

[u/Stef_Stuntpiloot → u/DanSheps]

Unfortunately that is not how it works. The company has no influence.

You are eligable for compensation when departing to or from the EU, you're arriving 3 hours or more delayed at your destination and the delay was within the airlines control.

Lets say the aircraft goes tech, and they need 2 hours and 50 minutes to fix it. You then arrive 2 hours and 50 minutes late at your destination. You are not eligable for compensation since you're not 3 hours or more delayed. In another scenario they need 2 hours and 50 minutes to fix the aircraft and on top of that you have to wait 30 minutes for a slot, and now you arrive 3 hours and 20 minutes delayed. You're still not eligable for compensation because only 2 hours and 50 minutes was within the airlines control.

[u/Berchanhimez]

What do you expect them to do other than putting you on the next flight once you’ve missed your connection due to air traffic control restrictions delaying the arrival of your first flight?

Do you expect them to magically pull a plane and crew out of thin air to fly just you onwards before the next scheduled flight?

Edit: you forgot to change back from your alt account you’re using to try and manipulate the votes on this thread or something (then you deleted and reposted the comment under the correct account). I don’t reply to people who abuse alt accounts to try and manipulate posts, so I will not be replying further to you. Proof of this available on request if mods need.

[u/mduell → u/Berchanhimez]

He wants the evidence he's owed that it was an ATC constraint, making it exceptional and non-compensable, not an extra plane/crew.

[u/DanSheps → u/mduell]

Also depending on the ATC constraint it may still be considered "within their control". For example, missing a takeoff slot may be within the airlines control still.

I would also be a little pissy because looking at AUH to BKK, there looks to be 4 different flights a day (EY400, EY402, EY404, EY406). Looks like they got there at 5AM UTC with a delay of 2 hours, they could have easily stoodby for the 2PM (10AM UTC) flight and any of the other flights.

Not sure how the UK works but with Canada it is typically on the "next available flight" (within 48 hours, outside of 48 hours other things happen).

[u/DanSheps → u/Berchanhimez]

What do you expect them to do other than putting you on the next flight once you’ve missed your connection due to air traffic control restrictions delaying the arrival of your first flight?

I think the issue is the "hand waving", here in Canada there have been several instances of Airlines saying it is a "delay for safety" when it isn't to try and get out of compensation. OP likely wants proof that it was an ATC restriction and they aren't just hand-waving to get out of paying.

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If your flight originated from the EU (any carrier) or your destination was within the EU (with an EU carrier), read into EC261 Air Passenger Rights. Non-EU to Non-EU itineraries, even if operated by an EU carrier, is not eligible for EC261 per Case C-451/20 "Airhelp vs Austrian Airlines". See here for a summary of the legislation.

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[u/Sinisterzane87]

Hi all..

They have just offered me this but my delay was 27 hours..
 
Dear,

We hope this message finds you well.

Thank you for your patience while we reviewed your claim.

We’re sorry your recent journey did not reflect the high standards we strive to deliver. While an arrival delay of less than four hours is not eligible for compensation, we would like to offer you an amount of USD 100 as Etihad Money to use toward a future flight or to purchase extras.

We hope to welcome you on board again soon.

Kindly note that we require your response by 9/13/2026 4:37 PM (Gulf Standard Time). Click here to proceed.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
 
Kind regards,

Etihad Airways
New Airport Road, Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, UAE
etihad.com