But CEO James Hogan has yet to respond to my note about theft in business class
The following is the text of an e-mail that I sent on Wednesday, September 5, to James Hogan, chief executive officer of Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. Mr. Hogan has yet to respond:
Dear Mr. Hogan:
I write this to alert you that my US BlackBerry was stolen aboard EY 101, which I took at 2 a.m. on September 5 from Abu Dhabi to New York. I was flying business class, and had packed the device in my computer case. As a veteran correspondent, I always pack my BlackBerry -- which had some 4,000 valuable e-mail and phone contacts -- in a specific compartment in the laptop case.
It was a 14-hour flight, and I slept through much of it. When I landed in New York, and opened my case to retrieve the BlackBerry, it was missing. I immediately reported it to your ground staff at Kennedy International Airport, and asked them to check the overhead bins. (My seat was 6D.) I was told that no device was found. I also requested the staff to check with the business-class lounge at Abu Dhabi Airport, but have yet to hear from anyone.
You can imagine how distressed I am at this huge loss. As a veteran professional journalist, my BlackBerry contains sensitive and important material, in addition to rare contacts.
But this theft on board Etihad is simply unacceptable for an airline that claims to be among the world's leading carriers. Coupled with the inadequate service that I had earlier written to you about -- a note that you did not acknowledge -- I am appalled.
I hope you will investigate this matter and let me know.
With thanks, and kind regards,
Sincerely,
Pranay Gupte