If you’re trying to access One Mile at a Time from the United Arab Emirates and are finding the site blocked, you’re not alone. I’m sure it’s obvious to regular readers what’s going on, but let me explain…
My blog is being blocked in the UAE following Etihad posts
It would appear that OMAAT is being blocked by many network providers in the UAE. So if you try to pull up the site, you’ll just get a blank page, as it won’t load. This isn’t yet 100% consistent across the country, but at least seems to be the case for connections through Etisalat.
The timing here of course isn’t a coincidence, and it’s not too hard to connect the dots. Last week, I covered how Etihad Chief Commercial Officer Arik De suddenly left the airline. I can’t say I had a great impression of him, but little did I know the can of worms I was opening, and just how much employees had to say.
What followed was hundreds of comments from frustrated employees, exposing what can only be described as an incredibly toxic culture. Not just your typical problems at big corporations, but something that goes way beyond that.
However, that was only the tip of the iceberg. I received more messages than I can count from current and former employees, many very senior, sharing what I’d consider to be some really shocking details. Honestly, just to get a sense of things, check out the comments on both the first post and second post.
Based on what I’ve been told, my posts made it all the way around the company, from senior management to frontline employees. Some people even messaged me to ask me to delete the comments they left, telling me that some of the senior managers were essentially starting a “witch hunt” to determine who left which comments (again, that’s what I have been told by multiple current employees, and I can’t speak to how true it is).
Let me also note that the entire topic of my post is nothing at all against the UAE, but instead, it’s about the (reportedly toxic) ex-pats running the company. And let me also emphasize that there are a ton of incredible employees at Etihad, including many Emiratis, who do an amazing job, and are the real victims in all of this.
That’s the UAE’s prerogative, and I have no regrets
If the UAE wants to block OMAAT, well, it is what it is. I get that the country cares a lot about its image, I just hope that government authorities actually read what I wrote, which is entirely about the (non-Emirati) people running the company, rather than the country as such.
Honestly, I have no regrets here. Perhaps I’m too principled of a person — I’ll stand up for the things that I believe in, and do my best to communicate how I feel in a fair and ethical way. I’m not trying to over inflate my importance here — I don’t claim to matter in any way — but if I can use my voice in some small way to even have a remote chance of impacting positive change, I’ll use it.
It goes without saying that I’ve historically been a huge supporter of Etihad, and the carrier’s product (my record speaks for itself). But I’m not willing to overlook what sounds like arguably the most toxic airline work culture I’ve heard of because it costs me a few clicks, or because they have nice first class suites.
I’m also not going to hold any grudges. I’ll keep covering the airline as I have before, as fairly as possible, while of course remembering how management is handling this situation.
To the senior Etihad executives who are responsible for what the culture at the company has become, you can of course try to do everything in your power to cover up the extent to which this is exposed, but I hope you at least know the extent to which many employees lack respect for you, due to how you’ve treated them.
For that matter, you should also know the lack of respect that your industry colleagues have for you. I’ve also received a countless number of messages from senior people in the industry not associated with the airline, who had some choice words. It’s pretty clear this is currently being treated by the company as something that needs to be swept under the rug, rather than something that actually reflects a systemic problem, and which should be addressed.
I’ll also say that I’m not going anywhere. So the Etihad senior leaders can of course try to silence me, but it won’t change the fact that I’m here to stay. I’ve been doing this for over 18 years, and God willing, I’ll be doing it for at least another 18 years (hopefully more, but…!).
I do hope that others in the media at least keep this saga in mind, and read what actual Etihad employees have to say about their experience working there, before cozying up too much with some of the people in the company’s senior management team. There are too many people out there who are just willing to overlook things because someone is nice to them, or willing to offer them something, without thinking of how they act toward others.
Bottom line
OMAAT is now being blocked in the UAE, clearly due to my recent Etihad coverage. I wrote about an Etihad executive suddenly leaving the company. I was happy to see him leave the airline, though little did I know how much current and former employees would have to say not just about him, but about several other members of the senior management team.
Obviously that negative coverage was too much, and got my site blocked in the UAE. I had nothing bad to say about the UAE, and for that matter, I have huge respect for the hardworking employees who keep Etihad running.
I’ll never be silenced just because it’s inconvenient, so I have no regrets here. I’m just letting y’all know, in case you’re accessing OMAAT from the UAE without a VPN, and are confused what’s going on.
Criticizing the UAE government in a public online forum is illegal, and that's what you did with the Etihad article no matter how you want to say that you were just criticizing some expats. Etihad is a government run airline so you broke the rule and they noticed.
You absolutely cannot fly to the UAE or transit through it anymore. People get arrested for less.
Trying to be apolitical. But lest we forget, the biggest freedom we have had in the USA is the 1st Amendment. And this is still the biggest reason people want to immigrate to USA.
Our 1st Amendment rights are under blatant assault with attempted censorship of the press. Lets not forget that this is the most important "freedom" we have in the USA.
That is not the biggest reason people want to immigrate to the US.
Ben,
This is a bit of a hot take, but I think there's a principled stance to cut Etihad coverage in response.
Frankly, I wish more outlets would do this - I would not have regarded WaPo poorly if they had responded to the Khashoggi assassination by blackballing the Saudi government from being allowed to offer comment so long as they were transparent about it.
So you're suggesting to fight censorship is to apply more censorship.
Oh boy.
don't feel bad, Ben.
Elon Musk bowed to the White House and put restrictions on Starlink and related services to Ukraine.
Your life is not at risk; many Ukrainians may well be.
Tim, you really can't help yourself can you?
Elon and Ukraine are obviously irrelevant.
no, they are very much relevant.
There are people that are happy IN THIS COUNTRY that are happy to shut down not just free speech but also hold back services is it means staying on someone's "good side"
Of course Tim Dunn will say everything is relevant.
I'm surprised you're not including Delta TPAC domination dreams, RASM, or how capable A350-1000 is.
Don't feel bad, Ben.
A350-1000 is still better for ULH than the 787-9.
Your life is not at risk; Delta is still very profitable according to DOT.
you can't accept that Bastian might just have been right that Musk would turn on a dime behind your back.
All of the best product attributes don't matter if you deal w/ someone that is willing to suck up to whoever he needs to stay in power
I'm surprised that they are still focused on taking action on verbal missiles.
funny when a flaming liberal like Ben gets a taste of the world outside the US.
truly a hilarious thing to say about a travel blogger who at one point didn't even have a permanent residence
What does a flaming conservative look like as you're making these comparisons?
So, 2 countries off your list? Egypt and UAE?
I think you have little to worry about. Etihad are about to undergo a severe reaming for their conduct over the Man City sham sponsorships.
Additionally, the gulf isnt sitting too pretty these days and their oil washing public PR works (things like a state airline), wont be viable given the domestic liquidity/viscosity problems
"I’ll also say that I’m not going anywhere."
We'll not anywhere in the UAE. Or Egypt, I guess. Maybe Algeria as well?
you'll learn that muslims do not value freedoms. STOP TRAVELLING TO MUSLIM COUNTRIES!
The US government doesn’t. Don’t make us laugh.
What a joke.
People like you are eventually going to lead to all of us being oppressed like the victims in this story. Because N H is correct. Prove it wrong.
Just ask CNN...
Icarus is on the no fly list!
Unlike the current freedom-loving US administration, right?
My take is that it's more than just the accounts of toxicity within the culture. There were comments in there that are serious accusations and cross the line of being more than just opinion (not in the post but the comments). That is where this goes beyond, "he or she was mean" to full on accusations of misconduct that would have serious legal or criminal repercussions. I had not read the comments until now and...
My take is that it's more than just the accounts of toxicity within the culture. There were comments in there that are serious accusations and cross the line of being more than just opinion (not in the post but the comments). That is where this goes beyond, "he or she was mean" to full on accusations of misconduct that would have serious legal or criminal repercussions. I had not read the comments until now and many are shocking if true - libel if not. While there is nothing that Ben has done in his post, in fact the first one seemed rather innocent, I am sure they are weighing options of ways to obtain IP addresses and any background they can as to the identity behind the comments. The blocking of the site in the UAE might just be the first salvo.
You’d think UAE would be trying its best not to alienate visitors or customers on its carriers, because… *gestures broadly* …not a ‘great’ time for the region (AUH, 1 died, 7 injured, February 28, 2026; KWI, 1 dead, 63 injured, June 3, 2026; RUH, +16 dead, 328 injured, October 7-11, 2026.)
You'd think. But perhaps counter intuitive is that desperation often makes for gunslinging. I am pretty sure this is being scoured over by legal teams in the UAE and U.S. to determine if and where to take this. Not only for the offensive - but looking at where they may be vulnerable themselves to accusations of sexual abuse.
There is no turning back now as they fired the shot. I would say they had...
You'd think. But perhaps counter intuitive is that desperation often makes for gunslinging. I am pretty sure this is being scoured over by legal teams in the UAE and U.S. to determine if and where to take this. Not only for the offensive - but looking at where they may be vulnerable themselves to accusations of sexual abuse.
There is no turning back now as they fired the shot. I would say they had very poor advice on how to handle this. It would have been buried and forgotten in a few days if they just quietly dealt with the problem internally and ignored everything else. The one thing we know for sure in the world today is that the public has a very short attention span and a high threshold for all out revolt. A certain man in power is a perfect example of this.
The reality is Arik is the tip of the iceberg- this culture existed long before and covered up by Etihad Senior Management. Who could forget the days of Yasser Al Yousuf who was the Managing Director of Etihad Guest who was known for preying on young male colleagues on duty travel trips and using his power and Emirati to silence them and get them fired if he thought he would exposed. The same incompetent HR...
The reality is Arik is the tip of the iceberg- this culture existed long before and covered up by Etihad Senior Management. Who could forget the days of Yasser Al Yousuf who was the Managing Director of Etihad Guest who was known for preying on young male colleagues on duty travel trips and using his power and Emirati to silence them and get them fired if he thought he would exposed. The same incompetent HR team consistently covered it up despite the various HR complaints. He was eventually fired because it became out of control.
Huh, suddenly Etihad having the most punitive rewards currency in the world makes a lot of sense...
All this does is prove that the original article was 100% spot on !!
Your original posts may not have spoken ill of the UAE, but their reaction certainly does. What an own goal.
Reading this for KSA… you should upset Riyadh Air next and see if you can get banned all the way from Egypt to UAE!
Just remember there are parts of the world that hate traditional American values. Including the right to have an opinion of their government of entities very tied to the government.
Yet it boggles my mind the number of people that seem to think living in repressive countries is so wonderful.
It’s easy to call out repressive foreign regimes, George. The real test of believing in free expression is holding domestic leaders to that exact same standard when they attempt to suppress dissent and target their critics.
Hear, hear. It boggles my mind the number of people who buy tickets on state sponsored airlines of these repressive countries. Willful ignorance? Hypocrisy?
rebel, that may be a bit of an oversimplification (wouldn’t want our beloved US carriers to be held accountable for everything our government has ever done, or failed to do); hey, didn’t United partner with Emirates? Uh oh…
One small difference. US carriers aren't owned by their government.
• Emirates: Owned 100% by the government of Dubai (through the Investment Corporation of Dubai)
• Etihad Airways: Owned 100% by the government of Abu Dhabi (through ADQ / the Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company)
• Qatar Airways: State-owned as the national carrier of the State of Qatar, operated under the direction of the Qatari government.
In your case we'll chalk it up...
One small difference. US carriers aren't owned by their government.
• Emirates: Owned 100% by the government of Dubai (through the Investment Corporation of Dubai)
• Etihad Airways: Owned 100% by the government of Abu Dhabi (through ADQ / the Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company)
• Qatar Airways: State-owned as the national carrier of the State of Qatar, operated under the direction of the Qatari government.
In your case we'll chalk it up to willful ignorance and hypocrisy. And you pretend to be pro labor. Too funny.
rebel, I can call out both your and George’s lack of nuance, and also still defend free speech, consumers, and workers, alike. The issue here isn’t ownership structure; it’s the attempts at censorship, both by the airline and the UAE. The three of us (you, George, and I) agree that what Etihad/UAE is doing here is wrong.
Try to say free Palestine and see what happens to your traditional American values and free speech.
Free Narnia.
Respectfully, Takhliq, that is not the issue here, either. Even the US Constitution’s 1st Amendment has limits. For example, one cannot shout ‘FIRE!’ in a crowded theater, causing a stampede/death, then disclaim liability based on ‘free speech’ alone.
Respectfully, 1990_, there is actually FIRE in Palestine right now.
Appreciate your coverage, and even more, your integrity, Ben. Keep it up!
Yep, exactly! Let's go!
Guess no more Etihad or Emirates First for you.
First comment ever, and just to say I appreciate your stance and commitment.
Good, keep at it and let us know more about inside shenanigans.
Toxicity and Etihad (Top Management) are made for each other and since Etihad is UAE govt backed, there will be censorship as it damages their reputation somehow.
Great product, amazing people as well but top management always looking to trip someone over or be in the good books of CEOs just to cling on to be where they are.
Longer the tongue, better their prospects.
Ben says, "I think the UAE is a largely respectable country"
Really? Have you ever investigated that premise with depth? Kafala? Due process? Human rights?
Ironic that they blocked this site.
Yeah, as a gay man that is not a sentence I would ever write.
Couldn’t agree more, like Qatar it’s a family run fiefdom
Of course government cares about its image, because except oil they have nothing else. The whole of UAE is a modern concrete utopia. Behind all those glitzy concrete buildings, they hide horrible "secrets" - extremely poor working conditions for laborers that build those glitzy buildings, shite human rights record, history full of oppression. So, to hide all that, they need to build a mirage - either by building big things or by buying sports teams...
Of course government cares about its image, because except oil they have nothing else. The whole of UAE is a modern concrete utopia. Behind all those glitzy concrete buildings, they hide horrible "secrets" - extremely poor working conditions for laborers that build those glitzy buildings, shite human rights record, history full of oppression. So, to hide all that, they need to build a mirage - either by building big things or by buying sports teams and then perpetuating corporate fraud.
UAE is a pathetic country, will pathetic airlines. Never sitting on one of those shite airlines or going to their shite country.
Actually the UAE’s economy is largely natural gas production, and less so of oil.
Potato, potahto
Wow…didn’t realize, that was the important part of my argument/rant. You have your priorities straight
Ole, great rant and spicy reply!
(Vinod, nice ‘umm ackchyually’…)
Haha, been there, done that! Don't worry, they'll lift the ban... eventually. And it won't impact most readers in the country as they are already using VPN's to bypass the crazy cyber rules.
Woah! Matt is here!
I'm curious if you now have any hesitation in traveling to the UAE? Other bloggers have been arrested for less.
@ chewy3 -- Yeah, for now I have no plans to travel to the UAE.
I knew you were going to be PNG there :-) I guess you could test the waters if Etihad did any 5th freedom flights but even then, you are taking a chance they divert like Ryanair 4978
JFK-MXP/ATH on EK seem ‘safe’ enough to test your thesis. Wouldn’t chance any compromised airspace, like over Belarus in Ryanair 4978. Sad that anyone would have to even think this way, but valid precautions.
Not surprising as Etihad is also part of the scandal around Man City's troubles in the Premier League.
Dang, I was just reading OMAAT from Abu Dhabi a week ago...
I really expected Ben to be banned from Algeria after last week's review, but the UAE was not on my bingo card!
“Because if we keep our employees from seeing this, maybe they will think there isn’t a problem.”
Seriously, though, what would be the point of blocking your blog in the uae? It’s not as though airline employees ever travel to foreign countries, nor are they skilled at using VPNs.
@ Andy 11235 -- Lol, I'd assume they're just looking for the easiest solution that allows them to convince themselves that this is going away...
Time to plan your trips around greener pastures. You're overdue for a review of Conviasa products. We love our Airbus A340s.
@ Andy 11235 -- Now THAT sounds like a good time!
First Cairo, now this. Clearly you're doing something right. Anyone keeping a running tally?
I can also tell you that you are probably banned from entering the UAE, you might have an arrest warrant in the UAE and will probably never be able to fly, transit or visit the UAE or one of its carriers.
@ SevenContinents_Steve -- I think it's probably a bit of a stretch to assume that at this point. But if that's the case, that's the UAE prerogative, and that's fine. I have no regrets.
If you are concerned though, it's pretty easy to request a criminal background check from the police in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. It's not very expensive at all.
As someone who has lived in the UAE for several years part-time and is very familiar with how things work, I agree with this. Do NOT take the risk of any flights with emirates, airarabia or Etihad. DOnot connect or fly to the UAE. You may not have an arrest warrant but I think you may well find heavily questioning to be highly uncomfortable if stopped in transit.
It’s also unclear to what extent arrest...
As someone who has lived in the UAE for several years part-time and is very familiar with how things work, I agree with this. Do NOT take the risk of any flights with emirates, airarabia or Etihad. DOnot connect or fly to the UAE. You may not have an arrest warrant but I think you may well find heavily questioning to be highly uncomfortable if stopped in transit.
It’s also unclear to what extent arrest warrants work across the gulf. I wouldn’t transit in Qatar or Saudi for example in your situation.
I have friends of friends who have made public negative comments about the uae online and have been refused entry to the country.
Image is everything to the uae. It is controlled very tightly and by criticising the UAE’s national airline you have criticised the government. They can not and will not accept any kind of criticism publicly. Do not forget it is an authoritarian regime and your right to free speech directly contradicts with their beliefs.
I hope you recognize the implicit invitation in this development not to enter or transit the UAE going forward.
Don’t be surprised if they try to leverage connections in U.S. government agencies to increase the discomfort level.
@ Mike -- That strikes me as a bit of a stretch for a blogger simply writing about the ex-pat management of an airline...
I do want to say the devil's advocate POV that this may not necessarily be to retaliate against Ben. Rather, the goal may be to prevent other Etihad employees from leaving comments on the blog, in an attempt to limit damage from this. Again, that's just the devil's advocate part of me speaking, though this move could also be to hurt Ben, and there isn't really a way to know for sure now based on this alone.
@ JB -- You're probably right, and I don't even take it that personally. I think they just don't want this discussion happening at all, which, for a country that cares so much about its image, isn't surprising.
That’s a distinction without a difference. It’s amazing that in 2026 people still discover the Streisand effect for the first time.
@ Ecr12 -- Yeah, people still only discovering the Streisand effect is quite something, isn't it?
I had to look up the "Streisand effect" I had totally forgotten about that story. Her Picture on Wiki looks awful. it is really a shame how she looks in her old age.
you mean it'd too bad that she looks like an older woman?
So glad you shined a light on this story even at a cost
Antonoaldo is known for destroying most of the great culture built by the OG founders of Azul in Brazil, so it is quite unsurprising that he brought part of the toxic culture later to Etihad. A strong signal of his toxic management at Azul is that a wave of people who joined the airline in the early days left around 2015, from senior captains to directors.
We support you, Ben!
wow. Just wow.
free speech is not at all free.
Free speech absolutely does not exist in the UAE, or anywhere in the Middle East.
Isn't free in America either.
So many things you still can't say.
I don't know. I can still say that Timbits is Ed's catamite.
@Lucky: I salute you! You are a “stand up guy”!
Ben are you comfortable traveling to the UAE at the moment or do you think they might try to detain you or something given this?
@ 747-400 -- At the moment, I'm not traveling through the Middle East at all, in light of global tensions.
In the long run, we'll see how things play out. I think the UAE is a largely respectable country that admittedly cares a lot about its image. If nothing else comes of this, I'd assume that I'm fine to visit the country. After all, the UAE blocks lots of websites, so I'm not necessarily...
@ 747-400 -- At the moment, I'm not traveling through the Middle East at all, in light of global tensions.
In the long run, we'll see how things play out. I think the UAE is a largely respectable country that admittedly cares a lot about its image. If nothing else comes of this, I'd assume that I'm fine to visit the country. After all, the UAE blocks lots of websites, so I'm not necessarily "that" special.
Is there a chance I get denied entry? Sure, and that might be a risk I'm willing to take. But I imagine when you look at the totality of the situation, nothing more would come of it. Either way, for now I'm definitely not going...
I hope you understand that being denied entry is the best case outcome here. There are also much worse possible outcomes.
About 15 years ago I spent some time living and working for a company in Doha, of which the CEO was a well-connected Qatari. At one point he got into a dispute with the company's CCO, who was a UK national, and had him arrested on a baseless accusation of corporate espionage. The charges had no basis in reality, and the whole thing was just a way for him to show off his power and...
About 15 years ago I spent some time living and working for a company in Doha, of which the CEO was a well-connected Qatari. At one point he got into a dispute with the company's CCO, who was a UK national, and had him arrested on a baseless accusation of corporate espionage. The charges had no basis in reality, and the whole thing was just a way for him to show off his power and torment the CCO, with whom he had a personal feud.
The CCO was held in a Qatar prison for about a year without ever being formally charged with a crime. After a year he was deported back to the UK.
Granted the UAE isn't Qatar, and this was 15 years ago. But I wouldn't necessarily put too much weight on the UAE being a "respectable country." You just need one powerful person to decide they want to cause you some trouble...
If they are blocking you that means you are doing something right. I’m sure the powers that be will realize the error wasn’t in who they hired but that these folks didn’t properly do their job. Good for you for holding the ex-pat executives accountable.
Various authorities in the Middle East: We do not like OMAAT and we do not agree with the existence of Ben
Lucky: here's how I booked my 9th trip to/through/from the region in 3 months
You should have a mirrored page on TOR, let the UAE try to block that
get their asses
Good for you for standing by your principles, Ben. But I fear you may need to add AUH & DXB on your list after CAI. (Unless EK thinks this EY coverage is boosting them but a UAE blanket block seems to suggest otherwise?)
Oh, snap!!!
(Sign of weakness, not strength, UAE…)
Keep it up @Ben! We need more people like you.
Whow. That’s totalitarian.
I surely hope that doesn't create any issues for you next time you travel there.
What are you doing, UAE. You were (and admittedly remain) the chosen one. Don't fall down to that level.
Yeah, c’mon UAE… “You were the Chosen One! It was said that you would destroy the (censors), not join them! Bring balance to the (internet), not leave it in darkness!”
for real, though, dude. UAE has defied so many odds over the decades. Falling to the level of blocking a blog that criticized one of its airlines to (hope Ben takes no offense to this) a fairly niche audience - that cheap and shtty, I don't know what else to say.