Virgin Atlantic says men can wear skirts, updates gender policy
The airline also introduced optional pronoun badges
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British airline Virgin Atlantic on Wednesday updated its gender policy and uniform requirements, allowing male employees to wear skirts.
Under the airline's new policies, there will no longer be a "requirement for its people to wear gendered uniform options," Virgin Atlantic said in a press release. The airline's crew, pilots and ground team members will now get to pick which uniform they want to wear regardless of gender.
Virgin Atlantic's crew, pilots and ground team members will now get to pick which uniform they want to wear regardless of gender. (Reuters/Phil Noble / Reuters)
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Virgin Atlantic previously changed a policy related to uniforms in June, amending its tattoo policy so that employees no longer had to hide their ink while in uniform. That change came several years after the airline started allowing female cabin crew members to decide how much makeup to put on as well as to wear pants and flat shoes.
Virgin Atlantic recently relaxed its tattoo policy for employees. (Virgin Atlantic)
Virgin Atlantic on Wednesday also launched optional pronoun badges for employees and customers. Passengers can ask for them at the check-in desk or in one of its lounges, the airline said.
Additionally, the airline's ticketing systems have been updated so that passengers with gender-neutral passports can select "U" or "X" as their gender code and "Mx" as their title when booking, according to the release.
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"At Virgin Atlantic, we believe that everyone can take on the world, no matter who they are," the airline's chief commercial officer, Juha Jarvinen, said in a statement. "That's why [it's] so important that we enable our people to embrace their individuality and be their true selves at work. It is for that reason that we want to allow our people to wear the uniform that best suits them and how they identify and ensure our customers are addressed by their preferred pronouns."
Virgin Atlantic said it plans to roll out mandatory inclusivity training for its employees and to offer inclusivity "learning initiatives" for tourism partners and hotels. (Reuters/Phil Noble / Reuters)
Virgin Atlantic said it plans to roll out mandatory inclusivity training for its employees and to offer inclusivity "learning initiatives" for tourism partners and hotels.
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