Elderly British couple left abandoned in Abu Dhabi overnight due to Etihad error

When David and Susan Hesketh set off for their holiday in Cape Town in November 2025, they never imagined that they would end up back at home 24 hours later – having been stranded in an Abu Dhabi airport overnight.

The couple, aged 78 and 79, bought their business-class flights directly from Etihad Airways for £4,919, months before the Iran war left thousands of British travellers stranded in the Middle East.

But a delayed Etihad flight from Manchester to Abu Dhabi meant they missed their connection to Johannesburg – and were abandoned at the airline’s hub. After spending a night vainly seeking help from staff, they spent thousands more on flights home.

According to information supplied to The Independent, the carrier appears to have failed to comply with air passengers’ rights rules at every stage. Etihad says it is “in touch” with the couple – but they dispute this.

The nightmare began with an afternoon flight from Manchester to Abu Dhabi that was delayed by 35 minutes in arriving at at Zayed International airport.

“We were told by the chief steward on the Manchester flight that the pilot of the Johannesburg flight knew of our delay and would wait for us,” Susan said. “They did not. The gate was closed on schedule.”

The couple had booked assistance for Susan because of a knee injury. But, she said; “No wheelchairs were available at the aircraft exit or at the end of the airbridge. “

“We just started walking,” said David. “We went up two stories in lifts and came to a long corridor and it was all the people looking for a wheelchair surrounding one worker with a mobile phone.”

Susan said: “The one person dealing with this group had no list and was not prioritising according to onward flight times. He was waiting for wheelchairs and yet the terminal was littered with unused motorised buggies.”

When they finally did get assistance, they were originally taken to the wrong gate. David ran ahead to the right gate, but by then the flight had closed. The South Africa-plane was still on the ground, but the couple say they were not permitted to board.

After the couple found they had missed their connection, air passengers’ rights rules specify that Etihad should immediately have found an alternative departure to Johannesburg – possibly on Emirates from Dubai, two hours away by road. If an overnight stay was required, the airline is obliged to provide a hotel and meals.

None of this happened.

“They told us to go to the transfer desk and they would sort everything out,” said Susan. “We naively believed that we’d get to the transfer desk and they'd either reroute us or put us up in a hotel until the next plane, the usual things you expect.”

They reached the transfer desk at 2.15am – only to endure hours of unhelpfulness and confusion.

“I can only describe it as a hell hole,” said Susan. “There were very few seats and we weren't given any water or food. Nobody told us what was going on.

“Not one of the various members of staff who we approached offered any help whatsoever. We were kept being told our situation was 'with Etihad’, awaiting their decision.

Four hours after they began seeking help in line with their rights, the transfer desk supervisor arrived on duty.

“He told us we were a 'no show' for the Johannesburg flight and so were not his responsibility,” Susan said.

David said: “‘It’s your own responsibility’, they said. ‘Sort yourself out.’ It was horrendous. There was no offer of rerouting and no offer of accommodation,” David said.

Susan added: “They were offhand and contemptuous. We felt completely helpless.”

They then talked to an Etihad agent by phone. “He told us there were no business class seats on Etihad flights to Johannesburg for five days,” Susan said. “He did not offer to reroute us.”

The fact that Etihad had no seats was not relevant; the carrier should have found another way to get the couple to their destination.

“At this point, we felt we had no option but to book a flight back to Manchester.” Ms Hesketh said. They paid nearly £6,000 to be flown home as soon as possible.

Air passengers’ rights rules require airlines whose misconnections render a journey impractical to fly the travellers back to their starting point free of charge and issue a full refund.

With hotel stays that could not be cancelled, flights within South Africa and their original return flight, David and Susan lost tens of thousands of pounds on the holiday. They were refunded £103 from Etihad for part of their unused journey.

Susan said: “After many years of travel, we have never had such a traumatic or unpleasant experience.

“Absolutely no consideration, kindness or compassion was shown.”

Six months on from the incident, Etihad told The Independent: “We are sorry the guests were unable to complete their journey. As the matter remains under investigation, we are unable to comment further. The guests will be contacted once the investigation is complete.”

Read more: Cancelled or delayed flights: What are my rights to a refund?