Ben, thank you for trying to help so many victims at Etihad. Sadly though, I'm pretty sure Etihad's management has been aware of the problem for years but they never cared to fix it since they themselves were causing it. I went to school at Embry-Riddle with Javier Alija and he was known for getting straight guys drunk and then taking them to his place. Javier is a despicable person who would joke about the "newbies" that had been introduced to his "uncut Quijote" and how they would wake up with a sore anus; he is very lucky none of his victims reported him though I suppose being straight guys they were too ashamed to admit what he had done to them. Then during his time at United, Javier and his network planning and revenue management buddies were all known for getting summer interns drunk and shamelessly sleeping with them. Dr. Nadia at Etihad knows perfectly well how many male employees Erik De and Javier Alija took down to their cars for oral sex as well as to nearby hotels for full sodomy. One would think a company that is based in the UAE, a country that considers homosexuality a crime punishable by a minimum of 6 months in prison, would be alarmed by that behavior, but no, Etihad HR has essentially allowed rapes of employees for years. Guys who refused to engage in sexual activities with Arik and Javier were all fired even when they had no history of bad behavior or poor performance.
WOW WOW I’m actually speechless. But reading this has helped a few things finally click into place for me.
WOW WOW I’m actually speechless. But reading this has helped a few things finally click into place for me.
And I thought Javier was married to a woman, which I probably thought because he frequently about his wife in group settings in Abu Dhabi.
I am not a fan of Javier but I find your comment questionable at best, disgusting at worst. Potentially even illegal (Slander, anybody?)
Oh right, Javier will be the only gay person in the world to marry a woman to cover up things. Like, that has never happened before! You are probably Arik or Javier.
For me, Javier is just someone I happen to see around every now and then. But let me ask you some things Michael:
1- Have you ever heard of the word “beard”?
2- Have you ever heard the phrase “two things can be true at once”? Just because what you said is true doesn’t mean this comment is false.
3- Do you think someone can be openly gay in a city like Abu Dhabi, especially when they’re a senior executive at one of the biggest companies there?
The number of comments from Etihad employees on the farewell LinkedIn post or the lack thereof, says a lot. Some even removing comments already posted. All the attractive former crew that made it into the corporate office, the whole company knows how you made it there. It’s not secret that you gave some favours to receive favours. Now the sugar dadddy is gone and so will they.
I worked there and it was the worst airline I have ever worked for in terms of “culture” and work environment. It is a punitive culture actually and lots of people are getting threatened by managers …
Névés is all except being a good guy or a great CEO … he created this environment ..
As with many companies, I have to assume that perception varies greatly depending on the vertical you are in.
None of the comments I have seen - except maybe one regarding promotions - refer to issues going on in the Finance department. This is because all the issues are under commercial or crew (with a bit of operations/technical). Etihad’s CFO is a very decent human being and so are most of his VPs who shouldn’t be dragged into this smear campaign.
Regarding the other departments, what is written here is indeed quite reflective of what is known internally.
That's not true. I was in the finance department. What I can say is that the finance team culture is not as bad as De's, but it's not positive either. Overtime without pay (they expect you to do "homework")、 rude communication、WFH on Friday only stays in theory. And we were also scared to present bad numbers, we had to check decks multiple time including the punctuation (because VP and above they do critize those tiny details). No one is happy there, Emirati and expat talents are gone...
Making sure the deck is free from arithmetic, formatting and grammar errors is pretty basic no? This is expected in pretty all desk jobs.
Complaining about that sounds like whining to me.
Shocked, shocked I say! Give me a break that any of this is a surprise in a Kafala monarchy. Dignity and respect? Please.
@Ben: I realize that this isn’t a sports blog, but the connection between his departure from Etihad and the scandal with Manchester City and the government of Abu Dhabi seems more than tangentially correlated. Many of the core accusations (that seem rather indefensible) include Etihad paying way over-market amount for sponsorship deals (along with other Abu Dhabi-owned enterprises and the government itself) to funnel above the allowed funds to flow to the football team (Man City) owned by the UAE sovereign wealth fund. For American fans, it’s along the lines of Ballmer illegally infusing money into his NBA team, but this went on for over a decade and is exponentially worse.
The accusations a ihr Man City are from a time long before the CRCO joined the company. So at least this correlation can be ruled out.
Having worked at Etihad myself, reading these comments brings back a lot of memories. Unfortunately, the toxic culture people are describing is very real.
In my own experience in the finance department, there was a lack of proper training, clear SOPs, meaningful guidance, and regular check-ins. Yet expectations were high, after-hours demands and weekend work were normalised, and when I tried to push for better processes, I was mocked by my manager for wanting them.
But what really exposed the problem was how the organization handled complaints.
I raised concerns with HR about the way my manager spoke to me and how rude and disrespectful the communication was. And what was the response? They told me it was simply “different ways of talking” and redirected the conversation towards how I could improve my own performance.
Management’s attitude was always essentially the same: “If you don’t like it, leave.” And when this attitude comes from the top, it trickles down through every level of management.
This is exactly how toxic cultures sustain themselves: unacceptable behaviour gets normalised, complaints get deflected, and the employee who speaks up ends up being treated as the problem.
I left Etihad soon after joining. I seriously question whether removing one executive will change anything if the underlying management culture and lack of accountability remain untouched.
It is weird that mainstream media still did not cover the news in some form or in small contexts or sections.
Would be great to hear an answer from the CEO office or ADQ or proposal for an interview.
I also would not be surprised if someone would sue the company in their country of citizenship after reading all those stories.
of course many of the commentators went too far with accusations or speculation, but what i have read here on OMAAT is realistic of what i have lived there
First of all thank you for shedding light on these issues. I’d love to share some information about my time at Etihad. I couldn’t take it for more than a year and a half. I witnessed and experienced some truly inhumane treatment and absolutely outrageous things. How can we get in touch with you?
As you said every airline has its fair share of nonsense that frustrates employees. Things like poor management, questionable promotions, people getting ahead by being on the right person’s good side are to some extent part of corporate life everywhere. But Etihad was genuinely on another level.
To me it’s pretty obvious, that Neves knew and maybe even fostered this environment. It reads like a re-run of the Hogan era. Hogan promised the owners growth, he delivered growth, and how he did that, was not the owners’ concern.
Management under Tony Douglas, when Etihad had to shrink, was actually decent, and the work environment became surprisingly humane. The necessary reduction in workforce was implemented fairly in my view.
Then came Neves and De, with a renewed promise of (profitable) growth, and it seems that once again the results mattered and not how they were achieved. Toxic work culture? Love it or leave it!
Therefore I am very skeptical things will get better for the employees while Neves is CEO. For change to happen a new CEO with his own crew needs to lead Etihad. And if he delivers the results the owners want, why should they let him go?
It’s hard to read all these comments. Etihad is a great brand with an excellent product and wonderful employees, and it’s painful to see its reputation affected by these experiences.
As an Etihad employee, I believe the company’s owners must act quickly and put employees first. Staff ticket benefits have been reduced, including flight availability for employees, and the CEO publicly announced limits on staff tickets for lowergrade employees.
Employees deserve respect, fair treatment, and a workplace free from humiliation and psychological pressure. Leaders who allowed this culture to continue must be held accountable, and long-serving employees deserve recognition for their dedication.
Etihad deserves better, and so do its people. We need real action, accountable leadership, and a culture built on empathy, dignity, and respect. Enough is enough.
If your going to write about toxic Middle East airlines how about you write about Qatar Airways being lead by the ultimate in toxicity, sexism and aggressive behaviour by the likes of Thierry Antinori, Mark Drusch…the list goes on!
Agreed that you should give Qatar some research. Absolutely brutally toxic culture, in my opinion, led by Thierry Antinori, and you should ask a few questions about his behavior with female colleagues in particular. You will be very intrigued by the feedback, I am sure.
This is also the case with Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA) another Mubadala partnership company. The working culture became incredibly toxic when board made the mistake of hiring senior management from BHP and Hydro. The curious case of Supply Chain department in EGA. Year after year, the employees openly complain the issues on survey with their leaders. End result, the employees are targeted and removed by keeping the leadership onboard. There is no accountability for this. Plenty of money to absorb the damage from laying off experienced good employees. The work is suffering and one day we will see EGA in the headlines after Etihad
I’m surprised no one is talking about the passive aggressive behavior or a certain high-ranking member in the legal team who thinks homosexuality is an excuse for arrogance.
As an Emirati born, raised and rooted in Abu Dhabi, my dedication to our nation and its institutions is absolute. Nobody cares more about the standards, legacy, and success of Etihad Airways than those of us who call this city home.
Every house has its issues no organization or international carrier is perfect. Challenges exist everywhere, but you do not fix the issues inside your home by standing in the street or shouting to the neighbors.
The continuous posts has crossed the line from constructive feedback into a targeted campaign serving private interests. Washing corporate linen on public platforms damages the very brand that represents us on the world stage.
We place our full confidence and trust in Etihad’s leadership to guide the airline through its growth and overcome any operational hurdles. Real progress comes through solid internal governance and unwavering support for our leadership not public sensationalism.
Etihad will always be Beyond Borders ❤️