Etihad's Chief Revenue & Commercial Officer Arik De has left the airline with no notice and no replacement named — and no mention of the CEO.
Ben, as you have one of the most read travel blogs, I hope Etihad reads this comment. With family in the Gulf region, I used to recommend Etihad as a passenger friendly airline. When Etihad adopted its draconian points expiration policy, it set a tone. And, my recommendations moved to other carriers.
And? Do you think Etihad did this by mistake and they're waiting for your input to fix it? Every company will stretch the rope as far as they think they can, even if it costs them some customers they apparently don't care for.
Do the same as a consumer: Spend your money opportunisticly and rid your brain of fake concepts like "loyalty".
From what I have heard from people familiar with the organization, Arik’s management style could be pretty abrasive. There were stories about him being tough on his team and sometimes making people the butt of jokes. There was also a perception that being in his inner circle could help when it came to promotions.
That said, it sounds like the bigger issue was the broader leadership culture at Etihad, rather than any one individual
Customer service still sucks.
Before and during his time.
The culture is always like that.
The penny pinching LC ME3.
New terminal is just lipstick.
A great airline only when nothing goes wrong even little things.
I exchanged messages with him briefly this afternoon after the news broke. He seems positive and optimistic, but to be fair, positive and optimistic have never been in short supply with Arik. I wish him well - he is definitely someone that will make things interesting wherever he winds up next.
In the UAE the reality is that corporate plans depend on who was the last person to talk to the CEO or equivalent.
Inagine still trying to spin yourself as a turnaround king 5 minutes after being unceremoniously escorted out of the building....
One of the most despicable and demeaning human beings I have had the displeasure of working with over the years. Total disrespect for people, their lives and their capability. He may paint himself as this all inclusive, forward thinking leader that brings everyone together but instead builds a polarised team that undermines one another at every turn. To sum up the total narcissism I’ll leave you with an anecdotal reference, to celebrate his anniversary at Etihad he asked his team to go and buy a cake to celebrate, with his credit card, only to capture the moment on camera as a “surprise” from his doting team and publish on LinkedIn. He will be forgotten.
Good riddance. Fear mongering leader who never cared about the wellbeing of his team. Very surprised it took Etihad so long to kick him out.
Flew EY very recently. A m9re pleasant experience than my previous trip on EY
De was definitely fired. My friends at EY's Marketing were actually celebrating because he was known for being a complete bully, always taking credit for his team's work. He even reprimanded his staff for "speaking at meetings without [his] prior permission." Good riddance.
Unrelated. Saudia A320 hit and destroyed by a missile at Riyadh. Airport closed and evacuated. No one on board.
Sadly, as you may have seen, there was another attack at RUH, today (October 10), 12 killed, 300 injured, worse than KWI back in June. Awful.
The funny part is that he still seems to think he’s smarter than everyone else.
Selling yourself as the man who transformed the company from $10 billion to $30 billion clearly didn’t prevent you from being shown the door in such an abrupt way.
And posting an old photo to make it look like your own team threw you a farewell party is genuinely quite amusing
Narcissists always think they're the smartest guy in the room. Not that I'm making a psychiatric diagnosis here, but if it quacks like a duck...
Unfortunately, his leadership style has raised significant concerns, and his recent departure reflects some of the challenges within the organization. I also believe that broader changes within the management team are necessary. The work environment has made it difficult to retain talented professionals, with many leaving within just a few months. A lack of respect, recognition, and support for employees has contributed to the loss of valuable talent. Unless these issues are addressed, the organization risks continuing to lose highly capable people.
Having worked in the UAE for many years an expat knows his longevity is probably less than the next 24 hours.
I had the distinct displeasure of working with him while he was at WS. Thankfully not under him. Lets say 5 minutes into the conversation he was off my Christmas card list. He really does think he knows everything about airlines and airplanes when in reality he doesnt. He is also very ambitious and that coupled with his arrogance did not win him any friends. Wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if he had been punted out off WS.
If corporate survival were an Olympic sport, he’d have taken home gold. Thankfully, it isn’t. Otherwise, we’d probably be reading about it in his next LinkedIn post.
Over the past years, he was apparently subject to a few internal investigations. He made people’s lives miserable and this was by design. The question that remains is whether there’s an airline out there crazy enough to offer Mr De another executive role.
He was by far the most toxic person at EY and there is not even one person in the office now who is not celebrating.
All our contacts from EY are rejoicing, none of them are commenting his departure message to thank him and half must be drunk at the office this morning
The truth is that the reason for his departure may have less to do with his abrasive personality and more to do with his disagreement with someone equally as abrasive but with greater power. One has to be prepared to work with abrasive personalities in the UAE.
Etihad on the other hand is a vile product to fly and the airport Abu Dhabi has one of the most nonsensical designs that I have ever visited.
One of the worst individuals I’ve ever encountered. He created a culture of fear, publicly humiliated staff, and took credit for their hard work. I’m surprised it took Etihad so long to act, given the numerous complaints against him. The recruitment process clearly needs reviewing. And the claim that he received a farewell is a lie. Good riddance to a deeply damaging individual.
Horrible guy, lier, bully, insulting at will, firing at will...
claims to everyone he flew 10000 commercial flights
Was horrible with some airline partners and one of the reason that EY is small and alone...
Nobody will miss him
He did the same thing in one of his previous job/airline, and also at least in another one (of the previouses)... we were all wondering how long he was staying there in Etihad being as he is... 5 years is a very long time and a very long damaging period for all employees to endure under his ruling...
Why doesn't this get more media visibility? To protect future employees unlucky to ever meet him as their superior...
A textbook case of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)...
In my experience, Arik demonstrated extremely poor leadership, and I have serious concerns about Javier’s management approach as well. Employees have reportedly faced humiliation, discrimination, unfair treatment, and dismissals without reasonable justification.
But my biggest question is: Where are Dr. Nadia and Fatima Al Sahlawi? Where is HR’s accountability?
Instead of conducting proper investigations into employees’ complaints, HR appears to accept management’s decisions without question. Employees who raise concerns are allegedly encouraged to resign or are simply dismissed, even when their complaints involve verbal abuse, humiliation, or discrimination.
I was among those affected. After refusing to remain silent about the disrespectful treatment I experienced, I believe I was effectively blacklisted.
Even more concerning, I became aware of an incident in which someone allegedly stated that a female candidate should not be hired because she had cancer. Such a statement raises serious concerns about potential disability discrimination, yet, to my knowledge, no meaningful action was taken.
I hold HR particularly accountable. Their responsibility is to protect employees, ensure fair treatment, investigate complaints impartially, and hold management accountable, regardless of seniority.
Instead, my experience suggests that HR enabled this behavior by repeatedly siding with senior management rather than addressing legitimate employee concerns.
How can an organization claim to value its people when employees who speak up are pushed out, while those accused of mistreating them face no apparent accountability?
The real issue is not simply poor leadership. It is the apparent failure of the very department responsible for protecting employees and ensuring a fair and respectful workplace.
I must say, it's interesting to read all these comments. I have no agenda here, but there's not an airline executive out there who I've heard such uniformly negative things about. The comments here are only a small sampling of what I've heard -- I also received countless messages from people sharing their experiences.
Does anyone have anything positive to say about him? Was everyone in upper management at Etihad just completely blind to this, or why did they ignore it?
The rot within Etihad runs deep and since this topic is gaining traction, here's a few more stories that will make you wonder how did he last this long and how did EY management allow this.
Blatant abuse of power: Marketing campaign will be thrown under the bus if you do not like his post on Linkedin and leave a positive comment under it. The person who is allegedly driving this complicity is the horribly inadequate marketing director Danielle Ryan.
More blatant abuses of power: For his birthday this year, he "allegedly" wanted a luxury watch and tasked the someone to fundraise the amount from his inner circle so that they could buy him a watch as "gift" to him and was "allegedly" gifted the watch.
Inappropriate relationships: There is no surprise in Arik's preferences albeit it may be his personal one, however when he brings his boy toys on work trips to a place like Rio, thats got to raise some eyebrows right?
I'm curious to see how his inner circle and biggest fans will react to this move having aligned their entire careers in EY so closely to him.
The reason : Who knew his behavior from before at TAP?
Who turned a blind eye on the fake Linkedin story, a laughing stock within the industry.
When you are shown as untouchable as this... What can happen to you?
Rumors has he attacked bigger than him this time. In Middle-east you respect locals as you are immigrating their home country...
Don’t get me started on Dani Ryan… I think the only one in Etihad that actually cried that Arik was leaving. The way she treats her team is disgraceful.
Here's an Arik story for you:
One Friday, at around 17:30, he gathers all the employees outside his office (appx. 50). Talks for a bit and then decides to hand out some leftover gifts from route launches (think cheap coffee mugs and tote bags). Asks everyone to move 2 feet away from him, places the 'gifts' on a table and shouts 'Hunger', for people to run and grab them.
The 'Hunger' was from the 'Hunger Games' which really says all that needs to be said.
P.S. - Incident took place on 2 June 2025 and I have (video) receipts!
We have a video of him doing the same thing on the 2nd of July 2025 too. I am sure a lot of people took footage of that insane moment.
Removing the leader doesn’t necessarily remove the toxic culture he created. The nepotism ran deep, with individuals promoted into management positions seemingly based on personal favouritism and physical appearance rather than merit or capability. The same favourites were repeatedly put forward for employee recognition awards under his leadership, raising serious questions about the integrity of the recognition process. Many of those who benefited remain firmly in place, with some already holding meetings declaring that nothing will change moving forward. That alone speaks volumes about how deeply entrenched the culture has become. Until the practice of rewarding personal favourites over genuinely deserving individuals is addressed, a change at the top will be little more than a cosmetic exercise.
@Ben - I have never worked for Arik or in the same organisation, but I have dealt with him over the last decade in multiple roles. He has never been anything but straightforward with me personally, and even helpful / generous at times. I have heard many of the stories about his management style and if true, some of those are unacceptable. However, my personal experiences with him are mostly positive and I will maintain that position publicly, notwithstanding its unpopularity today.
So yeah, at least one person is standing up for him today.
People like this guy know who they need to be nice to and manage well to get what they want. You must be one of those people. Doesn't change the way he treated his staff or other colleagues. I use to work there (before his time) and several former colleagues of mine stayed and worked under/around him. I've been hearing these stories for years. He probably needed something from you so of course he treated you well. Doesn't mean he wasn't absolutely terrible to those inside the company.
Even the most despotic leader of history had heir fan as they could be charming in private. I am sure pol pot could be nice to some other communiste leader
A couple of initiatives he led were sensible (albeit unpopular!), namely clamping down on the crazy number of confirmed seats Etihad RM allocated to staff paying ID fares.
In an e.g. European country or airline he wouldn't last a week, as employees would simply refuse to work for such a character and have union protection. However in the UAE no such protections exists and thus "If you annoy me I will fire you" is an option, and he never hesitated to use it.
The reason people message you privately is because of fear of reprisal.
Narcissa was a very, very charming person who seemed intriguing when you first got to know her socially, of course if you didn't have any business that could potentially make you a target. I can see how this charm could be applied to management for long periods of time, particularly in the Middle East, as well as Mexico, which are cultures where the personal relationship often overshadows the numbers, at least for much longer than it would in, say, Scandinavia.