SYD-AUH in F

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If you find the bed a bit hard, as I did, if there are empty apartments, ask for an extra mattress.
 
Ditto...EY have the best A380 F experience fullstop!

I tend to agree but it's interesting that Gary Leff (View From the Wing) and Ben Schlappig (One Mile at a Time) disagree. Gary says EY F is number one while Ben gave a list of about nine reasons why he thinks it isn't. The only one I remember is that EY only serves Billecart Salmon and nothing superior. It's worth a read, anyway.
 
We are sitting in the F lounge at AUH after a fairly straightforward flight.

At check-in the Etihad gate agent declared that our CPAP machines could not be taken into the cabin as hand luggage, even though we had no intention of using them in flight, and had to be checked. A few J passengers were also caught out with this. This is a heart-stopping moment for a CPAP uservfor a number of reasons, not the least of which is that CPAP carry bags are simply not designed for being checked.

After requesting a supervisor to talk to, we waited over 30 minutes for a woman in Etihad flight crew uniform to arrive and explain to us that there had been a policy change in July. I had my iPad with me and adked her to show me where the new policy was available for passengers to see.

At that point she backed off and said that we would be allowed to hand carry the CPAP kit on board but we were warned not to let the flight supervisor see it. This is just a crazy policy as Etihad operates into the US and must comply with FAA regulations on those UD services, which mandate that CPAP devices cannot be denied for hand carry. It's not at all clear why they would have two different policies!

The SYD premium lounge service was quite average and not what I had expected, but the onboard service was faultless and fully met our expectations.

The IFE had to be rebooted a couple of times but the crew were quick to offer iPads for continued viewing until the IFE was running again. I was a bit disappointed in the choice of major release movies and TV series in the IFE, which was quite poor compared what was available earlier this year on QANTAS and LATAM.

The F lounge is AUH is nice, excellent service and lots of quiet space.

Our next leg is AUH-FUB in J on an A330.
 
Good that you gently pushed back on the CPAP carry-on issue. These changes in 'policy' without adequate notification to passengers is all too common.
 
I've flown them twice in Apartments, i thought the one in April or so this year the food was slightly less good thant he previous one, like a few ingredients seemed to have been repeated in several dishes (ie desserts)... Flying out of Melbourne the IFE also went out for about an hour and after about 20 mins of trying to reboot they handed out iPads...

I enjoyed the EY lounge at melbourne, got them to make me several coughtails and the food was decent... I think the EY F bed can be a bit hard and having been forewarned of this i brought a rug one time to double over and soften it a little...

The F lounge in AUH is nice, has the 15 min massage both times and some nice food...
 
We are sitting in the F lounge at AUH after a fairly straightforward flight.

At check-in the Etihad gate agent declared that our CPAP machines could not be taken into the cabin as hand luggage, even though we had no intention of using them in flight, and had to be checked. A few J passengers were also caught out with this. This is a heart-stopping moment for a CPAP uservfor a number of reasons, not the least of which is that CPAP carry bags are simply not designed for being checked.

After requesting a supervisor to talk to, we waited over 30 minutes for a woman in Etihad flight crew uniform to arrive and explain to us that there had been a policy change in July. I had my iPad with me and adked her to show me where the new policy was available for passengers to see.

At that point she backed off and said that we would be allowed to hand carry the CPAP kit on board but we were warned not to let the flight supervisor see it. This is just a crazy policy as Etihad operates into the US and must comply with FAA regulations on those UD services, which mandate that CPAP devices cannot be denied for hand carry. It's not at all clear why they would have two different policies!

The SYD premium lounge service was quite average and not what I had expected, but the onboard service was faultless and fully met our expectations.

The IFE had to be rebooted a couple of times but the crew were quick to offer iPads for continued viewing until the IFE was running again. I was a bit disappointed in the choice of major release movies and TV series in the IFE, which was quite poor compared what was available earlier this year on QANTAS and LATAM.

The F lounge is AUH is nice, excellent service and lots of quiet space.

Our next leg is AUH-FUB in J on an A330.


Hi Bilton.

We wouldn't generally jump into a guest conversation, but we wanted to give you some more details about the CPAP issue you faced on your recent flight.

Below you can find a bit more about our CPAP policy for further reference for your next flight with us.

CPAP devices may be carried and used by guests on board providing the following conditions are met:

Prior medical clearance through MEDIF (Medical Information Form) system is required for the use of ventilators and respirators in the cabin. All MEDIFs shall be submitted along with the latest medical report from the treating physician at least 72 hours before departure of the flight, but not more than 14 days prior to the date of travel.

A certificate should be provided from the manufacturer that the device is FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) approved if it is not labelled as such on the device.

You are also responsible for ensuring that you have an adequate number of batteries to power the device on board and are packed in accordance with applicable regulations.

The device to be used on board shall be small enough to be accommodated in the aircraft cabin: either under the seat, in the overhead locker or secured against lateral and/or vertical movements.

The device is to be used only at a seat location that does not restrict any guest’s access to any required emergency exit, or the aisle(s) in the cabin compartment. You cannot sit in an exit row.

If the device is carried on board an aircraft as carry-on baggage, but is not intended to be used during the flight, the batteries must be removed and packed separately, unless the device contains at least two effective protective feature to prevent accidental operation during transport.

A lot of information, we know, but it should clear things up a bit about the CPAP regulations.
If you need any help, just let us know.
Thank you. *Sky
 
CPAP devices may be carried and used by guests on board providing the following conditions are met:

Prior medical clearance through MEDIF (Medical Information Form) system is required for the use of ventilators and respirators in the cabin. All MEDIFs shall be submitted along with the latest medical report from the treating physician at least 72 hours before departure of the flight, but not more than 14 days prior to the date of travel.
That was my understanding as well.

I spoke to Janine, one of the scale excellent customer service people in the F lounge at Abu Dhabi, and she provided me with the link to the current policy which now states....

"If you intend to use your own device onboard, you must submit a MEDIF to obtain medical clearance at least 72 hours prior to the departure of your flight. A MEDIF is also required even if you do not intend to use the device onboard."

http://www.etihad.com/en-ae/experience-etihad/special-assistance/medical-information/ (Under the Medical Devices + Continuous Positive Airway Pressure devices headings)

A lot of information, we know, but it should clear things up a bit about the CPAP regulations.
If you need any help, just let us know.
.
I understand the requirement for a MEDINF if I intend to use a mains powered CPAP device in flight (though Etihad should be aware that QANTAS has a much, much simpler policy, which has worked well for both the airline and its passengers, in place for years now), but it is totally over the top to require a MEDINF just to carry a mains powered CPAP device as a piece of passive hand luggage.

Obtaining a MEDINF for every journey is a tedious and expensive process, and if Ehihad sticks with this silliness of requiring just to be able to passively carry one on board, then my current journey will be my first and last with Etihad.

Right now we are traveling in Europe and we are simply not in a position to practically obtain MEDINFs for our return journey, so we are quite stressed about what we will face for our return flight from ZUR-AUH-SYD flight in ~ 6 weeks time. Is Etihad going to strand us in Europe!?!
 
That was my understanding as well.

I spoke to Janine, one of the scale excellent customer service people in the F lounge at Abu Dhabi, and she provided me with the link to the current policy which now states....

"If you intend to use your own device onboard, you must submit a MEDIF to obtain medical clearance at least 72 hours prior to the departure of your flight. A MEDIF is also required even if you do not intend to use the device onboard."

http://www.etihad.com/en-ae/experience-etihad/special-assistance/medical-information/ (Under the Medical Devices + Continuous Positive Airway Pressure devices headings)


.
I understand the requirement for a MEDINF if I intend to use a mains powered CPAP device in flight (though Etihad should be aware that QANTAS has a much, much simpler policy, which has worked well for both the airline and its passengers, in place for years now), but it is totally over the top to require a MEDINF just to carry a mains powered CPAP device as a piece of passive hand luggage.

Obtaining a MEDINF for every journey is a tedious and expensive process, and if Ehihad sticks with this silliness of requiring just to be able to passively carry one on board, then my current journey will be my first and last with Etihad.

Right now we are traveling in Europe and we are simply not in a position to practically obtain MEDINFs for our return journey, so we are quite stressed about what we will face for our return flight from ZUR-AUH-SYD flight in ~ 6 weeks time. Is Etihad going to strand us in Europe!?!

We see Bilton. If you need help, we can ask our Reservations Team to give you a call. Just send us an email with your booking reference and phone number and they'll assist you.
You can send it to [email protected]
Thanks. *Sky
 
To close this out.... when we checked in at Zurich for the return flight, no one asked anything about what we were taking int9 the cabin or about CPAP devices. I had stuck a label over the Resmed logo on our CPAP bags just-in-case, but no one looked.

Zurich to Abu Dhabi was in J on a 787, but I was surprised that we still ended up berthed on a remote pad and had to be bused to the main terminal...... my knee soon was telling me how unhappy it was with the steps down to the tarmac! Abu Dhabi to Sydney was in F on an A380 with air bridge boarding.

I’m overall quite happy with the flight experiences but won’t fly Emirates again unless their CPAP policies catch up with the 21st Century.
 
I’m overall quite happy with the flight experiences but won’t fly Emirates again unless their CPAP policies catch up with the 21st Century.

What does Emirates have to do with your experience?
 
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