Two friend who left for Etihad had their passorts held. It took a visit from the thehn VP HR to get the passport office to release them.
So, again and unfortunately, the moral of the story here is that GF will ignore you to the point were you will have to refuse to hand in your passport and simply go your way. It is virtually IMPOSSIBLE to get anything done or have your case/opinion heard because what happens is, in the end, no one at GF can take responsibility for making a decision. Many would like to but simply do not have the authority. Many in Flt Ops are incredibily helpful and understanding but the machinery of HR and the rest of GF makes it impossible.