British Airways Drops ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ for Gender-Neutral Language

The wheels of progress are slowly turning to make LGBTQ+ travelers feel more comfortable in the air. British Airways pilots and cabin crew will stop referring to passengers as “ladies and gentlemen” for more gender-neutral terms in an effort to create a more inclusive atmosphere.

As part of the change, the airline will make announcements starting with “attention, all passengers,” instead of the traditionally used, “ladies and gentlemen.” Airline officials say it’s a change to embrace wider social norms.

“We celebrate diversity and inclusion and we’re committed to ensuring that all of our customers feel welcome when traveling with us,’ said a British Airways spokesman in a statement sent to The Mail on Sunday, a British conservative newspaper. 

Britain’s flagship carrier is following the lead of other airlines, such as Qantas, Air Canada, and EasyJet, and adopting more gender-neutral language. In 2020, Japan Airlines changed its onboard policy to “create a positive atmosphere and treat everyone… with respect,” and earlier this year. U.S. airline, Delta, has phased out the use of “ladies and gentlemen,” a process that might take even the most supportive flight attendants some time to get used to.   

More recently, Air Malta and German airline Lufthansa made a similar commitment to drop traditional phrases in favor of more inclusive language.