Hi
I'm on a South African passport and had arranged a short stopover (less than 24 hours) in Abu Dhabi on my way from London to Australia.
I spent the last 2 weeks chasing various people in Etihad Airlines (both in London and Abu Dhabi) and nobody was able to help me. I got passed on from one person to the next and eventually I was told that Abu Dhabi no longer offer this visa as its too much administration.
I went to the UAE embassy and enquired 2 weeks ago, and they were also very surprised that the airline would not offer this.
I was then asked to contact hotels to arrange this, and I contacted the 4 biggest hotel chains that I knew but they advised that they donot arrange this visa for short visas, and the airline should arrange this.
I then got referred to the website: www.moieserv.ae to get an e-visa, but again I was told that the airline organises transit visas, not the department of naturalisation.
As a last resort, I tried to book the transit hotel, but this was fully booked.
I also tried to get my flight changed or cancelled and Etihad wouldnot allow this under any circumstances and I would have lost the price of my entire ticket. I have also lodged a compliant on the Etihad website but have received no response in the last 2 weeks.
I am now flying on Friday, and I'm going to be stuck at the airport for a whole day and night with nowhere to sleep or anything. I am most disappointed with my experience with Etihad Airlines and I would never fly with them again.
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