BA tells pilots and cabin crew not to refer to passengers as 'ladies and gentlemen'

10 October 2021, 08:40 | Updated: 10 October 2021, 08:54

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.

"Whether that's fortunate or unfortunate, it's a sign of the times," he said.

Last month, Air Malta announced it would also scrap phrases such as “welcome, ladies and gentlemen” in favour of more inclusive language, such as: “Attention, all passengers.”

Staff are now encouraged to refer to passengers as “guests” and other more universal terms, the airline said in a statement.

The phrase “ladies and gentlemen” was dropped by Transport for London (TfL) in 2017 in favour of inclusive greetings like "good morning everyone”.