British Airways introduces gender neutral greetings
British Airways are adopting new tactics to make their journeys more inclusive to all travellers.
The UK airline giant is joining a growing list of travel companies that are implementing more gender-neutral language, by ditching the traditional "ladies and gentlemen" greeting.
While the move falls in line with an industry-wide global trend, the decision is also due to a change in the airline’s clientele, with the carrier reporting more children onboard since COVID-19 restrictions have been lessened.
According to the Telegraph, the new policies would adhere to changing social norms, as well as make younger customers feel more included.
The airline is just one of many to make the important change.
Japan Airlines was one of the first major carriers to ditch the traditional “ladies and gentlemen” titles for inflight announcements back in 2020.
German carrier Lufthansa also changed their language to a more inclusive tone in July, as they pledged their commitment to diversity.
Qantas has also made strides towards inclusivity in 2018, as they changed the use of “mother and father” to “parents” on all flights to include parents of different sexualities.
At the time, the airline introduced a new staff booklet highlighting language geared towards the "Spirit of Inclusion", which advised against using language that could be deemed offensive to the LGBTQ+ community.
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