British Airways pilots and cabin crew have been told not to refer to passengers as ‘ladies and gentlemen’ during greetings.
BA will switch to more gender neutral terms instead, as part of efforts to celebrate “diversity and inclusion.” The move follows other airlines like Lufthansa, easyjet and Air Canada.
A BA spokesman said: ‘We celebrate diversity and inclusion and we’re committed to ensuring that all our customers feel welcome when travelling with us.’
Sir Martin Sorrell, founder of the advertising agency WPP, told The Sunday Telegraph that passengers are no longer bothered by the use of traditional greetings.
The phrase “ladies and gentlemen” was dropped by Transport for London (TfL) in 2017 in favour of inclusive greetings like “good morning everyone”.
