Brash timing for Israeli settlement expansion

• Last Updated: November 20. 2009 12:10AM UAE / November 19. 2009 8:10PM GMT

In reference to Settlement plan deals blow to peace talks (November 19), is it not strange that at a time when the US President Barack Obama is in Asia, the right wing Israeli government of the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman informed us that 900 new houses will be built for 3,500 “settlers” in the occupied West Bank? At the same time a spokesman of the Israeli government, Mark Regev, mentioned that this new complex of houses has nothing to do with the Obama call for “restraint” because they are an extension of Jerusalem.

The reputation of President Obama is really at risk and the Arab League must work very hard to get a united Arab position on the Palestinian issue.

Ricardo Kolbe, Germany

Two responses to airline complaint

I agree with Robert Hartman’s comments about the bureaucracy of Etihad Airlines in his letter Best airline but blind bureaucracy (November 18). Last summer, I booked an economy ticket to the UK. A few weeks later, I decided I wanted to upgrade to business class. I searched the website for that option, but it did not exist; instead, I was told to go to the ticket office in person. 

The staff in the office said I could upgrade, but they would have to charge me a percentage for booking in person (even though it was impossible to upgrade online) which meant that my ticket would have cost several thousand dirhams more than if I had booked it originally online.

In the end, the only way forward was to cancel the first economy ticket altogether (incurring a cancellation fee) and go online and book a new business class ticket. So I paid Dh300 to Etihad for the privilege of giving them more money for a business class ticket.

Maggie Hannan, Abu Dhabi

As the recent recipient of the World’s Leading Airline award, Etihad prides itself on the high levels of service we offer our customers, so we were disappointed to read about Robert Hartman’s experience at Abu Dhabi airport.

All tickets sold by airlines have certain conditions and varying levels of flexibility attached to them. As a general rule, discounted tickets do not allow customers the option to transfer onto another airline when they miss their flight.

At Etihad, we try very hard to make the check-in process fast and smooth for all of our customers, and to offer alternatives when things go wrong with their flights. However, the next available Etihad flight to Muscat clearly did not suit Mr Hartman, but since Etihad does not operate a codeshare service on another airline on this route, we could not offer him an earlier flight.

Belinda de Rome, senior vice president, corporate communications, Etihad Airways, Abu Dhabi

Pros and cons of home schooling

In reference to Homeschooling could be a smart move (November 14), I was brought up in the UAE and remember that school fees used to be a fraction of what they are now. Homeschooling would seem like a natural option in bad economic times, but how do we know it truly is a smart move?

The depth and quality of knowledge depends solely on the depth and quality of the parents’ knowledge. So who ascertains if the parents really can handle this sort of responsibility? It’s a mammoth responsibility to shoulder, especially because, even today, if we are bad at maths or physics we blame our teachers and say: “Oh I just didn’t like that teacher.”

On the other hand, children may enjoy classes more and absorb more because of a conducive environment. However, our best memories are from school and our friends from school. To take that away from your children is like taking away a major chunk of memories that they would reminisce about as adults .

Dr Hazel Girdharlal, Dubai

Underpass needs tender loving care

I would like to congratulate the Abu Dhabi Municipality on the state of the Corniche, and particularly the pedestrian underpasses, which are a real delight to use, beautifully maintained and kept immaculately clean. In fact, they have impressed so much that a “Photographic and Poem” record has been published called Walk through the Underpass, which is a beautiful account of the different cultural themes and motifs of each Corniche underpass.

One then turns to the underpasses of the adjacent Zayed the First Street, and they are a sadly a disgrace, with damaged tiles, filthy facades, broken lights, graffiti and forgotten plant beds. This state of disrepair encourages pedestrians to jaywalk and cause unnecessary danger, especially at night where the lack of lighting in these underpasses produces a threatening atmosphere. Please could some of the same tender loving care that is furnished on the Corniche be spread some 500 metres away on Zayed the First Street and others in need?

Charles Thom, Abu Dhabi