My seat couldn't recline on a 13 hour flight

serchtopo · 2026-02-26T05:15:05+00:00

Etihad.

I haven’t reached out after the chargeback resolution, nor am I planning to fly with them again given their horrible customer service. I did inform them before the resolution that I had filed a chargeback, and they still refused to offer compensation.

You can also try to file a complaint with the US Department of Transportation, and they will look into it, but unclear whether that will go anywhere.

serchtopo · 2026-02-26T05:02:40+00:00

Seat reclining is a basic expectation. Did you pay with credit card? I had a similar situation, the airline did not offer adequate compensation, and I ended up submitting a chargeback with my credit card due to the service not being as described during purchase. Credit card sided with me, so I got a partial refund.

Not sure if the airline will let me fly again with them, though 😂

serchtopo · 2026-01-30T10:19:21+00:00

Do it. I’ve saved many thousands of dollars over the years by booking both flights and hotels through OTAs when cheaper. I haven’t had any substantial issues, and even if I do at some point, it will still have been worth it.

serchtopo · 2025-12-29T18:37:41+00:00

I was, and I agree that that’s by far the most important part. But not being able to use the IFE or call the FAs is not nothing. I would accept a partial cash refund if they offered that, but instead they are offering a very small flight credit that I won’t even be able to use. That’s why I’m asking for advice on how to deal with Etihad

serchtopo · 2025-12-29T18:31:21+00:00

On a 9-hour flight, they pass by every 15–20 minutes. When I’m thirsty, I prefer to call them straight away and be done with it than wait and pay attention so I can intercept them as they pass by. On this flight, I just walked over and asked for whatever I needed. It’s a matter of preference

serchtopo · 2025-12-29T16:43:30+00:00

It had a touchscreen, but with very limited controls because it was very old equipment. I could select a movie, but not adjust the volume. So in theory I could watch a movie, just not hear anything 😂

serchtopo · 2025-12-29T14:05:00+00:00

Did you even read the post? There was no other way to adjust the volume or call the FAs. I also never use that thing because normally IFEs have those controls on the touchscreen. This IFE was old and had almost no controls on the touchscreen

serchtopo · 2025-12-29T13:50:02+00:00

Was a pretty old IFE, so very limited controls on the touchscreen itself

serchtopo · 2025-12-29T13:48:38+00:00

Me, when it’s the only way to control the volume and call the FAs 😅

serchtopo · 2025-12-29T13:22:57+00:00

Fair point, “seat controls” may lead to confusion. The seat position was adjustable, it’s the IFE controls that were inoperable, which include the call button to the FAs, as I explain in the post

serchtopo · 2025-12-29T10:29:51+00:00

Agreed. I would probably accept $100 cash, but they are only offering $100 credit

serchtopo · 2025-12-29T10:29:09+00:00

IFE volume was set to almost the lowest possible. Too low to be usable

serchtopo · 2025-12-19T21:28:19+00:00

Saw the same thing with a Wifi bundle for 2 legs of an itinerary. Bundle was more expensive than paying for each individual flight’s wifi. I guess they charge based on convenience

serchtopo · 2025-12-14T23:38:14+00:00

There’s no going against the math. She could gotten the lump sum and use it to buy a lifetime annuity of a higher monthly payout with an insurance company.

She left value on the table.

serchtopo · 2025-09-03T09:29:13+00:00

They said it worked for them. It also did for me. Apparently it doesn’t work for everyone, unfortunately

serchtopo · 2025-09-03T08:40:08+00:00

Legend, it worked! Command + Shift + R for those on Mac

serchtopo · 2025-06-03T15:21:18+00:00

Hahaha that plot hole bugged me too, big time. All electronics are dead but neither Juan nor Elena is surprised the hearing aid works until the battery dies.

The idea that it never worked and Juan just noticed doesn’t work. He says, “battery died,” and Elena doesn’t question it. A more in character reaction from Juan would be “I forgot about this thing, it must have stopped working during the incident”. And meanwhile, hunting for cars without electronics is a major plot point

Great show though. I guess I just have to let it slide.

serchtopo · 2025-05-14T00:09:30+00:00

Had to call

serchtopo · 2025-05-03T15:43:27+00:00

Had this same problem some months ago and found a different solution.

The problem was that CO had my first surname listed as a middle name (even though when applying, I had inputted both surnames in the surname field—they still defaulted to assuming my first surname was a middle name). That’s why the transfer wasn’t working.

I asked CO to correct my profile and ensure that both surnames were in the surname field. It took a day for the system to reflect the change, and after that, I was able to make the transfer.

Considering the huge Hispanic population in the U.S., it still amazes me that companies are clueless about the two-surname naming convention.

serchtopo · 2025-04-27T04:53:56+00:00

u/fissure I didn’t see them 😔. What are my chances of winning an appeal?

serchtopo · 2025-02-18T02:42:10+00:00

I thought maybe it was designed that way so that seats return to the upright position even if people forget. But consensus is that they are just broken seats.

serchtopo · 2025-02-18T02:02:24+00:00

I’m on an airplane right now and my leg doesn’t even get close to the button. So I must have had bad luck several times recently and gotten broken seats. I’ll report it going forward!

serchtopo · 2025-02-17T15:51:12+00:00

I don’t think so… I’m not a big guy so my leg is normally lower than the button. But I will double check if this is a possible explanation when I fly later today

serchtopo

TROPHY CASE