The phrase “ladies and gentlemen” is commonly used in airline announcements—or just about anywhere, for that matter. But according to a report from CNN, Japan Airlines (JAL) will be dropping that common phrase for something more gender-neutral. This includes greetings like “attention all passengers” or “welcome, everyone.”
“We have been promoting diversity in the community since 2014, and this is one of our actions taken to treat everyone (the same) regardless of gender,” said Yutaro Iwasaki, the publicist for JAL in an interview with CNN Travel.
Aside from this JAL has also been making efforts on gender parity. In March 2020, JAL announced that female flight attendants now have the option to wear trousers instead of skirts. That way, they would be more comfortable on board.
Photo from Unsplash
In addition, Japan’s first-ever female commercial air pilot Ari Fuji works at the airline’s subsidiary, JAL Express. After getting her pilot’s license in the United States, Fuji returned to her home country, where she was accepted into JAL’s training program. She was hired by the airline in 2019, which was groundbreaking for women pilots.
Gender-neutral language is fast becoming a priority for more airlines around the world. Last 2019, Air Canada made the switch from “ladies and gentlemen” to “everybody” when addressing passengers. JAL, however, is reportedly the first Asian airline to adopt this practice.
Do you think that more airlines should switch to gender-neutral terms?
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