British Airways have intrustructed its pilots to no longer address passengers as ladies and gentlemen, keeping the greetings gender-neutral instead. The change in policy has been touted as a nod to “inclusion and diversity.”
The UK’s flag carrier has become the latest airline to replace the traditional greeting with a gender-neutral alternative, the Telegraph reported on Sunday. The change in policy has been made to avoid discriminating against the passengers who do not fall under either of the two categories, such as children, as well as “to respect new social norms,” the newspaper reported.
The BA spokesperson has appeared to confirm the move towards the “woke speak,” noting the company’s commitment to “inclusion and diversity.” “We're committed to ensuring that all our customers feel welcome when travelling with us,” the BA spokesperson said.
The announcement did not go down well with conservative-leaning commentators. Some went as far as to declare the carrier’s decision to dump the phrase, long seen as a standard and polite form of address, an “attack” on the British national character.
“It’s an attack on everything we are,” Laurence Fox, actor and leader of UK’s Reclaim party tweeted. Lockdown skeptic and Brexit supporter Fox ran in the London mayoral elections earlier this year, receiving less than 2% of the popular vote.
It’s an attack on everything we are.British Airways to drop 'ladies and gentlemen' announcements in drive to promote 'diversity' https://t.co/bgtR8Cz9ib
— Laurence Fox ✌
