air canada greeting

Air Canada is switching to a gender neutral greeting and not everyone is feeling it

Air Canada is making some changes in an attempt to be increasingly inclusive to all gender identities.

While the airline has traditionally greeted passengers during boarding announcements as "ladies and gentlemen," they'll now use inclusive terms like "everybody" instead. 

"We will be amending our onboard announcements to modernize them and remove specific references to gender," a media spokesperson for the company said in an email to CTV News.

"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 new policy, while undoubtedly progressive, is getting mixed reviews on social media. 

While many are applauding the company for keeping up with the times and taking all passengers into account, others aren't as impressed. 

"Complete overkill...I suppose doctors should follow suit when announcing the birth of your newborn little 'it'! I applaud those who have the courage to not identify as a 'he' or 'she' but please don’t ignore the rest of us who are very comfortable with our gender identifies!," one angry Twitter user wrote

"WTF rude customer service is what I see coming so they're basically saying they're not even going to greet their customers," another sceptic tweeted.

Some are even saying they'll stop flying with Air Canada because of the change. 

But despite all the angry Twitter users who are triggered by the news, others are pointing out how little this will actually change and how ridiculous it is to be mad about it. 

And some are even making fun of those who seem to be personally offended. 

Many are emphasizing the fact that the change is minor and definitely isn't worth getting so upset over.

And others are pointing out how progressive and inclusive the move truly is. 

"Air Canada will swap 'Ladies and Gentlemen' in its flight announcements with 'Hello everyone,' ensuring gender neutrality," one Twitter user wrote online

"Big win for inclusion! #LGBTQ."

Lead photo by

Clement Lo


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