One of Japan’s Largest Airlines Is Majorly Altering Gender Expectations In The Sky
by Heather Cassell
In a few days, travelers heading to Asia on Japan Airlines will notice some changes at the airport and when they board the plane.
Starting October 1, instead of hearing “ladies and gentlemen,” travelers will hear “attention all passengers” or “welcome, everyone” and “good morning” and “good evening.”
The airline is dropping “ladies and gentlemen” and removing gender specific pronouns in all announcements and greetings at airports and in-flight.
The Tokyo-based airline’s move comes right before LGBTQI history month in October and the opening of Pride House, Japan’s first permanent queer center, October 11.
The center’s goal is to raise awareness of LGBTQI rights ahead of the Olympics 2021.
Easing The Stress For Gender Nonconforming Travelers
JAL is a part of a growing list of air carriers leading the change after years of intersex, nonbinary, and transgender travelers complaints about how they are treated when they travel. Many of their complaints are aimed at the Transportation Security Administration.
The new policy follows some of North America, British, and Oceania’s major airlines’ recent gender policy and system changes, including dress codes, and the International Air Transport Association’s non-binary gender passenger guidelines in February 2019.
In March 2019, United Airlines became the first United States operated air carrier to include a non-binary gender options to its booking system when it implemented: M(ale), F(emale), U(undisclosed) or X(unspecified)” and the title “Mx.”
Air Canada, British Airways, and Air New Zealand made similar announcements about gender-sensitive policies and upgrades around the same time United updated its system.
British Airways also changed its uniform policy allowing female flight attendants the option to choose to wear trousers instead of skirts, reported the World Economic Forum.
In March, JAL announced that its female flight attendants would have the option to wear skirts or trousers so they could work more comfortably, Yutaro Iwasaki, the airline’s publicist told CNN Travel.
Air Canada and Air New Zealand are codeshare partners with United as a Star Alliance member.
British Airways is a member of Oneworld along with American Airlines.
“We know how important it is for all of our customers to feel comfortable and welcome no matter how they self-identify,” a spokesman for British Airways told the WEF at the time the gender-neutral updates were announced.
“We are working to change our booking platform to reflect this,” the airline’s spokesman continued.
United’s move came shortly after Airlines for America, an industry trade organization that represents many major U.S. airlines, announced February 2019 that many of its members planned to revise its systems to accommodate gender-nonconforming travelers.
The introduction of gender-neutral announcements and greetings is to help gender nonconforming travelers feel more comfortable.
By the end of 2019, American Airlines followed United’s lead and European low-cost airline easyJet began providing gender sensitivity guidance and terminology to its employees following some negative social media complaints, reported CNN Travel.
Transgender activists applauded the airlines for the policy changes.
“It’s a big move”, Julia Ehrt, of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
“Persons presenting as gender non-conforming or trans persons who might not have been able to change their name or gender markers in passports regularly have serious challenges in travelling.
“That can range from being challenged about your gender marker or first name upon check-in or at security, through to outright denial of being able to board a plane.”
Arli Christian, state policy director for the National Center for Transgender Equality, agreed, saying, “Non-binary people face unnecessary, invasive and discriminatory scrutiny by airlines, airports and security services alike.”
The change “is an important step toward ensuring safe and smooth travel for all passengers regardless of their gender,” Christian told the New York Times.
Japanese LGBTQI activists have not responded to the news.
Lip Service?
Not every American airline has updated its policies and systems to be more gender-nonconforming-friendly.
There is no timeline set for individual carriers to make the changes. The airlines control its own schedule for implementing gender-neutral updates, according to representatives of Airlines for America.
Executives at Alaska Airlines, JetBlue Airlines, and Southwest Airlines stated its also planning gender-neutral changes.
Delta Air Lines, which is not a member of Airlines for America, was also examining updating its policies and processes to accommodate gender-neutral travelers, reported the Times.
It has been more than a year and a half since the airlines publicly announced plans for the gender-neutral change.
Moving Asia Forward
The airline has been promoting diversity since 2014, JAL Publicist Yutaro Iwasaki told CNN Travel.
“This is one of our actions taken to treat everyone (the same) regardless of gender,” Iwasaki said.
JAL even flew an LGBT Ally Charter plane exclusively for the same-sex flyers to show solidarity and tolerance towards its customers.
Last year, the airline hired its first-ever woman pilot, Ari Fuji. Fuji received her pilot’s license in the U.S. before returning to Japan and entered JAL’s pilot training program.
Fuji shattered a major glass ceiling, not only in Japan, but in aviation in general. Only about 5% of commercial pilots around the world are women, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization, a UN Specialized Agency, reported CNN Travel.
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