CHICAGO, March 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- United
Airlines today announced it has become the first U.S. airline to
offer non-binary gender options throughout all booking channels in
addition to providing the option to select the title "Mx." during
booking and in a MileagePlus customer profile. Customers now have
the ability to identify themselves as M(male), F(female),
U(undisclosed) or X(unspecified), corresponding with what is
indicated on their passports or identification.
"United is determined to lead the industry in LGBT inclusivity,
and we are so proud to be the first U.S. airline to offer these
inclusive booking options for our customers," said United's Chief
Customer Officer Toby Enqvist.
"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."
As part of implementing these new changes, United has worked
with the Human Rights Campaign and The Trevor Project on employee
training initiatives. These initiatives include teaching employees
about preferred pronouns and the persistence of gender norms, LGBT
competency in the workplace and other steps to make United an
inclusive space for both customers and employees.
"At the Human Rights Campaign, we believe being acknowledged as
the gender you identify with is part of treating everyone with
dignity and respect," said Beck Bailey, acting director of the
Workplace Equality Program. "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."
"The Trevor Project is grateful for United Airlines' support of
our life-saving work on behalf of LGBTQ youth," said Amit Paley, CEO & Executive Director of The
Trevor Project. "We are thrilled to bring Trevor's expertise on the
mental health of LGBTQ people to United to ensure its employees
maintain safe and inclusive spaces for LGBTQ employees and
guests."
Alongside partner organizations, customers, and employees,
United will continue working to build the world's most inclusive
airline. The changes to the booking process are now currently
available.
Every customer. Every flight. Every
day.
In 2019, United is focusing more than ever on its commitment to
its customers, looking at every aspect of its business to ensure
that the carrier keeps customers' best interests at the heart of
its service. In addition to today's announcement, United recently
released a re-imagined version of the most downloaded app in the
airline industry and made DIRECTV free for every passenger on 211
aircraft, offering more than 100 channels on seat back monitors on
more than 30,000 seats. The multimillion-dollar investment in
improving inflight entertainment options will benefit the more than
29 million people expected to fly United's DIRECTV-enabled planes
this year.
About United
United's shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the
World." We are more focused than ever on our commitment to
customers through a series of innovations and improvements designed
to help build a great experience: Every customer. Every flight.
Every day. Together, United Airlines and United Express operate
approximately 4,800 flights a day to 353 airports across five
continents. In 2018, United and United Express operated more than
1.7 million flights carrying more than 158 million customers.
United is proud to have the world's most comprehensive route
network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los
Angeles, New
York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates 770 mainline
aircraft and the airline's United Express carriers operate 559
regional aircraft. United is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 193
countries via 28 member airlines. For more information, visit
united.com, follow @United on Twitter and Instagram or connect on
Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Continental
Holdings, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL".
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SOURCE United Airlines