This spell really bothers me because it is so inferior to pass door and has no benefit that I am aware of. Can it be improved or can pass door replace it entirely?
Scenario 1: You are just walking about and want to go through a door. If you are translucent you can just walk through, without your mount getting in your way. Ethereal passage mounted, FAILS.
Scenario 2: Some nasty Necro/DK has summoned you into a room and closed the door, if you have pass door up you can flee! Ethereal passage cannot be cast in combat, and if you are blind you don't even know which way to go with it anyway. FAIL
Scenario 3: You see a trap ahead, or a door that cannot be passed with translucency. I have ethereal passage you say to yourself, I can use magic to teleport one room away. FAIL. You will hit the trap or get blocked by the door.
I agree. It's such an annoying spell. Cast every time I want to move a room? Lame... Psions have matter manipulation on lock, and we can't give ourselves a pass door effect?
I can kind of see why Shamans would get ethereal passage over pass door, as well as Psionicists. There's a certain something that helps with that pass door problem. Wish I could say more, but you don't necessarily even need ethereal passage.
I don't think it's supposed to be that. Maybe the spell should be taken away entirely and see how much you miss it?
Ethereal passage is not pass door because of balance issues, Shaman is quite powerful with pass door up.
I've played too many shamans to count, and a psi. I never used that piece of **** spell. Not after awhile. It becomes less burdensome to just collect cloudies than to even consider typing that stupid incantation out. 
It wouldn't make shamans or psis any more OP than clerics or invokers... it's just an arbitrary placement. It's like if you took away stone skin from battlemages... they'd still be able to acquire it easily... and always have the spell up anyway. They'd just have to collect it instead of type ca ston
Think the spell works that way for a reason. I.E. balance. If I may suggest, I'd say not to depend upon it and instead use those cloudy and shimmering potions.
I like it for role play..... it is fun to fold space instead of walking
If I remember right, Ethereal passage actually has an advantage that pass door does not. As has been mentioned, you can always get lots of other items to gain pass door when desireable.