'Ladies & gentlemen' | British Airways to stop using gender-specific language in equality push

Frequent flyers will be no stranger to the requisite introduction given by flight crew that generally starts with ‘ladies and gentlemen’.

Yet, in a recent diversity push, British Airways has announced that it will alter its announcements to better ‘reflect the diversity’ of its passengers.

The phrase, which it no longer sees fit for purpose in line with its new code of practice, will be replaced with more gender and age-neutral terms that are set to be more inclusive of those who do not identify as a ‘lady’ or a ‘gentleman’.

British Airways cited the new common practice of altering this language, already in place in many airports both across the UK and other nations, as a key impetus for the move, which was also reportedly spurred on by the increase in younger passengers travelling post-lockdown, the Telegraph reported.