Etihad Closed Check-In Counter Early and Denied Us Boarding

A friend and I purchased tickets from Etihad Airways for a flight from Istanbul Airport to Bali, Indonesia, scheduled to depart on December 31, 2025, at 2:00 PM. Our booking reference (PNR) is DNR82A. We planned all our travel arrangements accordingly and arrived at Istanbul Airport at 12:50 PM on the same day, then went directly to the Etihad check-in counter.

However, when we arrived at the counter, we saw that it was closed. When we asked a staff member from a neighboring airline, we were told that the Etihad counter had closed at 12:30 PM and the staff had already left. Even though there was still time before our flight, we could not understand why the counter had been closed so early, and we were unable to find anyone responsible to assist us. We immediately tried calling Etihad customer service, but despite multiple attempts, no one answered the phone.

As a result, because we could not reach any staff, the counter was closed early, and customer service was unreachable, we were not accepted on the flight, and the entire ticket amount of $1,656 USD was forfeited. Not receiving any prior notice and being left without assistance caused us serious distress and financial loss.

To resolve this issue, I am requesting a full refund of the $1,656 USD ticket price that we paid.