Etihad Airways: Confronting bias in cabin crew culture

Etihad Airways set out to equip its multicultural cabin crew with tools to identify and address unconscious bias in practice, not just in theory, given the range of cultures its crews and passengers represent.

The challenge

Etihad identified several dynamics affecting its cabin crew: cultural misunderstandings driven by stereotypes, communication breakdowns caused by hierarchy, unconscious bias affecting teamwork and the passenger experience, and a need to build empathy, allyship and everyday inclusion. Traditional training methods were judged not immersive or engaging enough to spark real behavioural change.

What was built

People Tech Revolution, in collaboration with Utano Global, delivered a two-day immersive VR training pilot in February 2024, using content from the PTR Library. The program combined:

• Everyday Inclusion and Mind Shift VR modules, tackling microaggressions, racial and gender bias, and allyship.
• Richie's Plank VR, used as an emotional warm-up to prime participants for immersion.
• Yarning Circle discussions, grounded in cultural storytelling and open reflection.
• DEIB carousel sessions, to encourage peer exchange and co-design action steps.

How it was delivered

The pilot ran over two days with 36 participants, combining the VR modules with facilitated discussion and reflection sessions rather than running the VR content in isolation. Richie's Plank VR served as a lighter warm-up before the more sensitive DEIB scenarios, and the Yarning Circle and carousel sessions gave participants structured time to talk through what came up in VR with each other, rather than leaving that processing to happen informally afterwards.

Results

As reported by PTR following the pilot, participants described heightened emotional engagement, empathy and awareness, and said the VR helped them recognise biases they had not previously considered. Realistic scenarios and interactive moments made the learning memorable and, participants felt, safe to engage with.

Recommendations arising from the pilot included tailoring future VR scenarios to reflect Etihad-specific settings more closely, establishing dedicated VR spaces for greater comfort, and expanding the library to include more DEIB scenarios with longer-term reinforcement sessions.