Has anybody used Etihad Airways? how was ur experience overall? (airport, food, attendants' behavior towards pax etc). I have a 15-hour transit in abu dhabi airport. Not sure if ill be provided a hotel. if they didnt provide a hotel, can i book a hotel and spend the night in Abu Dhabi (Nepali passport?)

Better than American.

My overall experience with Eithad was good, (food, service). They only thing is that your carry-on weight can't be more than 12 kilos, they will weight it at the gate, they did that at Dallas(Sept 2015). Abu Dhabi airport is good, free wi-fi another plus point is that it has public showers. The other good thing is that the US Immigration and Customs is at the airport, so on the way back you clear US customs there, before getting on the plane. About sleeping at the airport, you can call Eithad's 800 and request for a sleeping pod. The airport also has a hotel inside the airport, look at the airport website for info.

Etihad is awesome. Since you have 15 hours of transit they should have provided you free hotel which should be inside airport. Also, don't forget to ask for "Free Food Token" at Abu Dhabi airport. You can get free food if you show this token. I had great experience with Etihad.

I used Etihad twice and i have/had no complains at all. The vegetarian food they serve was as spicy as I eat at home so loved it. The service overall is pretty good too. The airport as "Ketama" ji already told has wifi(free) and lot of people roaming around(a whole lot of nepali work in that airport too). The airport was dead between 2am to 4 am local time though...

To sum it up all, I had pretty great experience with Etihad as well.

I will never use etihad. Worst service ever. On transit, flight was delayed and they didnt care to inform why there was delay. If u want to be treated as cattle, u r very welcome to use etihad. I vowed I will never use their service. These words will reverberate in ur mind when u experience things like I did. Just be prepared. And oh yeah, I didnt get my baggage for 6 days. Imagine having to roam around in same dirty clothes. Good luck.

@Ketama, I have a 2-hour layover at Abu Dhabi Airport. Will I have enough time to clear US customs and immigration before I board the connecting flight?

@buttertruth, I wouldnt go on to generalize about an airline based on a mere trip. I hated my flight on turkish airlines, my best friend raves about them.

and before i forget, will i need to apply for a visa if i booked an airport hotel, or outside the airport?

Jeremiah it depends where you trying to go
Where is your final destination

For Visa:
http://www.abudhabiairport.ae/english/airport-information/check-in-and-passport-control/immigration-and-visas.aspx

Also, I think 2 hours should be fine to clear customs.

I have used Etihad couple of times with good experiences. Also recently I had my parents fly Etihad and they said they had overall a comfortable journey.

Things that worked for me-
- Cheaper tickets ($250 cheaper than Qatar for my tickets)
- Abu Dhabi immigration is convenient, you can complete all immigration process in the airport itself, free wifi, presence of good number nepali employees can be another convenience for non english speaker travelers.

Sorry no idea about hotel facilities since I did not have long layovers.
Have a nice journey!

microbiology, final destination is kathmandu. So I really wonder if my uncle needs a visa for his stay at the airport hotel since he has a nepali pp. from what ive heard, etihad serves biryani (or indian cuisine).