Japan Airlines Embraces Gender-Neutral Greetings

Japan Airlines is ditching the phrase “ladies and gentlemen”, embracing gender-neutral terms during both on-flight and airport announcements, taking effect from next month.

From October 1, JAL “will abolish expressions that based on [two types of] sex and use gender-friendly expression” like “good morning” and “good evening,” a spokesperson for the airline said recently.

According to ‘Bangkok Post’, although in Japanese the expression generally used for such announcements is already gender-neutral, the decision applies to other languages used by the airline.

The decision appears to be a first for major Japanese carriers, with a spokeswoman for rival ANA Holdings telling said they would “study the issue based on comments from our customers.”

JAL operated a trial last year, ‘LGBT Ally Charter’ flight for same-sex couples and their families, and has already changed rules to extend spouse and family allowances to same-sex partners.

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