Japan Airlines to drop gender-specific phrase ‘ladies and gentlemen’ on flights

Japan Airlines is set to drop the greeting “ladies and gentlemen” from flight announcements made in English, in a move away from gender-specific greetings, according to multiple reports.

Announcements in Japanese will remain unchanged because they currently do not use gender-specific language, The New York Times reported.

Mark Morimoto, a Japan Airlines spokesman, confirmed to the outlet that greetings and announcements at the airport will also use gender-neutral language like “all passengers” or “everyone.”

“We aspire to be a company where we can create a positive atmosphere and treat everyone, including our customers, with respect,” Morimoto said.

Morimoto told Reuters that “We have committed to not discriminate based on gender, age, nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or other personal attributes.”

The move is set to take effect on Oct. 1.

Several other airlines have also made removed the phrase “ladies and gentlemen” from greetings in recent years, such as Air Canada and EasyJet.

Japan Airlines in 2017 changed its company policies so LGBTQ employees could receive family benefits previously given only to heterosexual couples, the Times noted.

The announcement comes as corporate support for LGBTQ rights has increased in recent years, Reuters reported. Same-sex marriage remains illegal in the country, although some cities and town in the country issue same-sex partnership certificates to couples. 

The Hill has reached out to Japan Airlines for comment.