Wings of Wellness

We spoke to Terry Daly, Etihad’s Executive Director Guest Experience, Brand Marketing to find out about the positive steps they are making to ensure safe travel through their Etihad Wellness programme

- AMY SESSIONS

‘Etihad Wellness’ is the airline’s expanded and comprehensive health and hygiene programme and customer guide. This builds on the stringent measures already put in place by Etihad to deal with COVID-19. The programme is championed by specially trained Wellness Ambassadors, a first in the industry, who provide essential travel health information and care so guests can fly with greater peace of mind.

How do you set yourself and your team up for a positive day? I wake up earlier than I need to, so I can take my time in the mornings. I like to start my day sitting out on the balcony with a cup of coffee and catching up on the day’s news – both world news and from friends and family overseas. I get to work around 7:45 ready for the day ahead. I’m generally a positive person and spend time walking around the office to connect whenever I can. I would certainly say that positivity is contagious and it’s good to keep that spirit within the team. For our communications team, we start the day with a quick Microsoft Teams call to touch base, update each other on the latest news, and make sure we’re all feeling informed and connected.

Last year was a challenge, what positives have come to light either for you personally or Etihad? I can certainly agree, it’s been a challenging year. I joined Etihad on 1st March. Three weeks later the airline was grounded, the country was in lockdown and we were all working from home. We very quickly took advantage of the technology solutions available to us, and I’m amazed at how well we worked together as a team in planning the restart of the airline. We quickly adapted to working online, and I have no doubt that the use of technology and new style of teamwork is something that will last.