United Kingdom: Virgin Atlantic makes uniforms gender-neutral

Whether in the flight cabin or on the ground, Virgin Atlantic employees can now choose their uniform “no matter their gender, gender identity or gender expression”, the airline announced on 28 September. Upon unveiling this change to its gender identity policy, the UK airline presented a series of photos illustrating the various possibilities available: an air steward in a jacket and skirt, a hostess in trousers or female pilots in suits. In addition, employees can choose to wear badges on their suits, designed by Vivienne Westwood, indicating which personal pronouns they identify with. Juha Jarvinen, Virgin Atlantic’s chief commercial officer, says: “We believe that everyone can take on the world, no matter who they are. That’s why it’s so important that we enable our people to embrace their individuality and be their true selves at work.” The group, which employs 6,500 people worldwide, has also planned mandatory inclusion training for all staff to better welcome its customers. All these changes are a result of its corporate policy called “Be Yourself!”. As part of this, Virgin Atlantic announced back in 2019 that make-up, high heels and skirts are no longer mandatory for its flight attendants. More recently, the company also removed the ban on visible tattoos.