Why You’ll No Longer Hear ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ on Air Canada Flights

Air Canada will no longer greet “ladies and gentlemen” or “mesdames et messieurs” aboard its aircraft.

In an effort to be more gender inclusive, the Canadian airline has eliminated gendered nouns from its scripted greetings and will instead welcome “everybody” or “tout le monde” aboard flights.

“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,” a spokesman for the airline told CTV News.

Earlier this year, United became the first U.S. airline to widen its booking options to allow passengers to choose to identify as male, female, undisclosed or unspecified as their gender.

In 2017, the New York City public transit system changed its language from “ladies and gentlemen” to address “passengers,” “riders,” or “everyone.” That same year, both Nepal and Canada began issuing passports that didn’t force travelers to choose between identifying only as male or female.