This trip was planned 7 months ago due to my lingering regrets over my stillborn Etihad Apartments trip which was supposed to happen in 2020 until COVID killed it (I never got over it!). Then came along my re-planned Auckland trip which was also cancelled last year – I was redeeming my SQ Advantage ticket and randomly picked Bangkok as an additional trip since it cost the same amount of miles anyway.

I was scheduled to arrive in Abu Dhabi on 27 Feb 2026, spend 2 days in the city, then depart on 02 March 2026 early morning flight. And I guess we all know how the trip turned out.

I am super thankful to Etihad for putting me on a repatriation flight after an extra 2 nights during these crazy times and felt like I needed to document my experience, even the ones I managed to experience as a contrast to how fast things spiralled into madness.