Etihad Airways defends maternity policies

Etihad Airways is defending its treatment of pregnant employees after actress Nicole Kidman was criticized for filming a commercial for the company. 

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) slammed Kidman for endorsing Etihad Air earlier this week because its leaders said airlines based in the United Arab Emirates “are well-known in our industry for their discriminatory labor practices and deplorable treatment of female employees.” 

Etihad Vice President of Guest Services Linda Celestino said in a letter dated April 8 to APFA President Laura Glading that the flight attendants’ union was mistaken about the company’s maternity policies.  

{mosads}“Your claims regarding the treatment of female employees are not only completely offensive, they are outrageously inaccurate,” Celestino wrote. “Our cabin crew represent a culturally diverse, talented group of professionals who receive the full support of Etihad Airways both during and after their training.” 

U.S. airlines have been at odds with Etihad and other Middle Eastern airlines over alleged violations of Open Skies agreements between the U.S. and the UAE. 

Glading said in her April 2 letter that she was disappointed to see Kidman appearing in commercials for Etihad because the airline is “a regressive company that seeks to return our industry to its darkest ages.” 

Glading blamed what she called questionable conditions at Etihad on the UAE’s culture. 

“Sadly, Etihad’s abhorrent labor policies are hardly surprising when one considers the fact that the airline is wholly owned by the UAE, a country where the only thing that is being ‘stepped up’ for women and girls is the level of abuse,” she wrote. “According to a recent article by Business Insider, ‘the UAE is a country where husbands are permitted to beat their wives. There is no legal recourse for marital rape, and the UAE has imprisoned victims who report rape to authorities — including Western tourists.’” 

Etihad’s Celestino said Glading was far off base about the airline’s treatment of female employees. 

“Should one of our cabin crew choose to start a family, our policy provides them with paid ground duties for the duration of their pregnancy,” she wrote. “Qualified cabin crew are also provided with maternity leave and all flying positions remain open for our cabin crew to return upon completion of their maternity leave, should they choose to do so.” 

Celestino said Glading’s comments in her letter to Kidman were out of line. 

“On a personal level, I am incredibly disappointed that you would use your stature to wield false accusations with no basis in fact to tarnish and slander our airline,” she wrote. “I view this as a failure of your responsibility to both the Association of Professional Flight Attendants and female leaders within the aviation industry. Indeed, it is your unfortunate and erroneous comments that threaten to most damage the growth and advancement of women within our industry.” 

The union said in an April 2 letter to Kidman that she should reconsider her decision to work with Etihad because the airline’s practices are contrary to the actress’s “efforts to advance women’s rights around the world as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador.”

“We urge you, on behalf of the women and girls that you spoke of so eloquently, not to play a part in promoting Etihad Airways, a company that imposes abusive labor practices on its female employees and whose sole owner is a government that stands against the very world that you imagine,” Glading wrote. “The APFA — a union that represents 25,000 flight attendants, including nearly 19,000 female crewmembers — has long been a leading voice on the issue of discriminatory labor practices in our industry. We would gladly welcome your voice to our effort.”