“United is excited to share with our customers, whether they identify along the binary of male or female or not, that we are taking the steps to exhibit our care for them while also providing additional employee training to make us even more welcoming for all customers and employees,” United’s Chief Customer Officer Toby Enqvist said in a statement.
The airline has worked with LGBTQ organizations The Human Rights Campaign and The Trevor Project on training employees in conjunction with these updates. Such training includes the use of preferred pronouns.
“By providing non-binary gender selection for ticketing and the gender-inclusive honorific ‘Mx’ in user profiles, United Airlines is taking an important step forward for non-binary inclusion,” Beck Bailey, acting director of the Workplace Equality Program at the Human Rights Campaign, added in the same statement.
Fly how you identify. Our new non-binary gender options are now available.
United’s announcement comes after two big trade groups – Airlines for America (A4A) in the USA and the global International Air Transport Association (IATA) – recently approved a new international best-practices standard that suggests accommodation for travelers using “non-binary IDs.”
The suggested standard would create an option for “unspecified” or “undisclosed” for passengers booking tickets. That option would be in addition to the options for “male” or “female.”
This standard was said to become effective June 1, but it was up to individual airlines to make the option available to their booking platforms.
The nation’s five biggest U.S. airlines – American, Delta, United, Southwest and Alaska airlines – all previously told USA TODAY that they plan to implement the trade groups’ suggestion.
USA TODAY has reached out to other major U.S. airlines for comment on their respective timelines in implementing a non-binary option.
Contributing: Ben Mutzabaugh
Caption 23 Credit Queens Gardens Resort
Caption 7 Credit Floris Suite Hotel Spa Beach Club
Caption 1 Credit Floris Suite Hotel Spa Beach Club
Caption 26 Credit Sand Castle On The Beach Resort
Caption 29 Credit Sand Castle On The Beach Resort
Caption 14 Credit San Juan Water Beach Club Xxx
Caption 28 Credit Sand Castle On The Beach Resort
Caption 24 Credit Queens Gardens Resort
Caption 25 Credit Sand Castle On The Beach Resort
Caption 21 Credit Queens Gardens Resort
Caption 19 Credit Queens Gardens Resort
Caption 17 Credit San Juan Water Beach Club
Caption 30 Credit Sand Castle On The Beach Resort
Caption 22 Credit Queens Gardens Resort
Caption 27 Credit Sand Castle On The Beach Resort
Caption 16 Credit San Juan Water Beach Club
Caption 20 Credit Queens Gardens Resort
Caption 15 Credit San Juan Water Beach Club
Caption 18 Credit San Juan Water Beach Club
Caption 4 Credit Floris Suite Hotel Spa Beach Club
Caption 13 Credit Puerto Rico Tourism Company
Caption 2 Credit Floris Suite Hotel Spa Beach Club
Caption 5 Credit Floris Suite Hotel Spa Beach Club
Caption 11 Cedit Belmond La Samanna
Caption 9 Cedit Belmond La Samanna
Caption 12 Cedit Belmond La Samanna
Caption 3 Credit Floris Suite Hotel Spa Beach Club
Caption 8 Cedit Belmond La Samanna
Caption 6 Credit Floris Suite Hotel Spa Beach Club
Caption 10 Cedit Belmond La Samanna
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: United announces new non-binary gender booking options
Source: Read Full Article