--- title: "Etihad Airways VR case study: cabin crew inclusion" description: "A two-day VR pilot in February 2024, run with Utano Global, that gave Etihad's multicultural cabin crew a way to meet unconscious bias in practice." canonical: https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/case-studies/etihad-cabin-crew-inclusion --- [Our Work](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work) / [Case Studies](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/case-studies) # Etihad Airways: confronting bias in cabin crew culture A two-day VR pilot in February 2024 that gave multicultural cabin crew a way to meet unconscious bias in practice, not in theory. Fitting a headset at the February 2024 workshop. ## Crews from everywhere, passengers from everywhere Etihad Airways set out to equip its cabin crew with tools to identify and address unconscious bias in practice, given the range of cultures its crews and passengers represent. People Tech Revolution, in collaboration with Utano Global, delivered the pilot using content from the PTR VR Library. ## What Etihad saw in its crews Cultural misunderstandings driven by stereotypes, communication breakdowns caused by hierarchy, and unconscious bias affecting teamwork and the passenger experience. Traditional training was judged not immersive or engaging enough to spark real behavioural change. Ground crew on the apron at dawn. ### Bias in a galley has nowhere to hide A crew works in metres of space for hours at a time, with a hierarchy that decides who speaks. A stereotype in that space costs the passenger as well as the colleague. Etihad wanted empathy, allyship and everyday inclusion that crews would practise, not a module they would complete. > "It has been so great to meet other businesses working in the aerospace industry. The program has opened our eyes to different possibilities and we really have enjoyed every second of networking and improving our business." Leonie Sanderson Co-founder, People Tech Revolution, on the Boeing-backed Aerospace Xelerated program. [Startup Spotlight, Aerospace Xelerated, 2023](https://medium.com/aeroxelerated/spotlight-people-tech-revolution-62d11e4ae535) ## What the two days combined Two PTR Library modules, a warm-up, and two forms of facilitated conversation, so the headset was never the whole session. Everyday Inclusion and Mind Shift: microaggressions, racial and gender bias, allyship. Richie's Plank VR: a warm-up to prime people for immersion. Yarning Circle: cultural storytelling and open reflection. ### Then the carousel DEIB carousel sessions closed each day: peers exchanging what came up in the headset and co-designing the action steps they would take back to the aircraft. Crew in the crew room, replies in view. Addressing four colleagues around a table. At the service counter, headset on. ## How the days were paced 36 participants over two days, with the VR modules wrapped in facilitated discussion and reflection rather than run on their own. Colleagues waiting on the reply you give next. ### Lighter first, then the hard part, then talk Richie's Plank VR served as a lighter warm-up before the more sensitive scenarios. The Yarning Circle and the carousel gave participants structured time to talk through what came up in VR with each other, rather than leaving that processing to happen informally afterwards. ## What participants reported The pilot's outcomes are what the crew said afterwards, gathered by PTR at the end of the two days. Deciding whether to step in, beside a colleague. ### Biases they had not considered before Participants described heightened emotional engagement, empathy and awareness, and said the VR helped them recognise biases they had not previously considered. They found the scenarios realistic, the learning memorable, and the material safe to engage with. > "It looked real, as if I was really there." Pilot participant Etihad Airways cabin crew VR training, February 2024 Giving feedback to a team, headset on. ### What the pilot recommended Tailor future VR scenarios to reflect Etihad-specific settings more closely. Set up dedicated VR spaces for greater comfort. Expand the library with more DEIB scenarios, and add longer-term reinforcement sessions so the two days keep working. ## The desks and counters where it shows Bias in service work lands at a counter, a desk or a gate, on someone in uniform who cannot walk away. These are the rooms PTR builds for that moment. A service officer listens to an older woman. Two colleagues across a control room. A manager briefs a barista at the counter. Want a program like this for your own crew? [Open the contact form](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/case-studies/etihad-cabin-crew-inclusion#contact) Ask our CEO Simon Lowe’s Digital Twin a question ## Sources PTR’s record of the two days, and the Library titles it drew on. ### Etihad Airways cabin crew inclusion pilot, delivery record People Tech Revolution with Utano Global, February 2024 PTR's notes and participant feedback from the two days, held by PTR. The participant quote above is from that record. [Ask us for the delivery record](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/case-studies/etihad-cabin-crew-inclusion#contact) ### [Everyday Inclusion in the PTR VR Library](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/ptr-vr-library/everyday-inclusion) People Tech Revolution The module the pilot ran, with its origin at Cornell University and its other deployments. Related PTR work Related PTR work - [Everyday Inclusion: built with Cornell](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/case-studies/everyday-inclusion-cornell) - [Metro Trains: gender equity](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/case-studies/metro-trains-gender-equity) - [The PTR VR Library](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/ptr-vr-library) - [Workplace & Enterprise case studies](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/case-studies/workplace-enterprise) - [All case studies](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/case-studies)