MONTREAL – In an effort to include all genders, flight attendants with Air Canada will no longer greet passengers by calling them “ladies and gentlemen.”
Instead, crews will be directed to address passengers as “everybody” or “tout le monde” for French speaking travelers, CTV News reports .
In a statement sent to CTV, a spokesperson for Air Canada said the change to its onboarding announcements seeks to modernize them and remove specific references to gender.
"We work hard to make sure all employees feel like valued members of the Air Canada family, while ensuring our customers are comfortable and respected when they choose to travel with us," the statement said.
The airline has not yet announced when the change in wording will go into effect.
While many are praising Air Canada’s decision online, others aren’t happy with the impending change.
@AirCanada to swap 'Ladies and Gentlemen' in their announcements with 'Hello, everyone' ensuring announcements are gender neutral.
This is a big win for gender identity, diversity and inclusion. #LGBTQ #lgbtqtwitter @AimeeChallenorhttps://t.co/vQG8gD8CeQ— Vinamra Longani (@Vinamralongani) October 13, 2019
I hear Air Canada is moving towards addressing its passengers in a more gender-neutral way, replacing “ladies and gentlemen” with “everyone”. This. Is. Good.
— Kate Andrews (@kateality) October 13, 2019
Whoever in the top brass at @AirCanada approved of removing "ladies and gentlemen" from the greeting...congrats for lowering the class of your experience. Formal titles that make people feel appreciated is not assuming gender. Soon we'll just end up as numbers.
— Matt (@matt_feudal) October 13, 2019
My god, this gender correctness is really making me mad. What a bunch of clowns 🤡.
— David W Middleton (@oilman4345) October 13, 2019
The airline isn’t the only Canadian organization seeking to respect people’s gender identities. A few weeks ago, the Ontario Provincial Police said it would no longer be releasing the gender of those charged with crimes or even victims.
