Virgin Atlantic Updates Uniform Rules To Liberate Staff From Gendered Attire

To create a more inclusive space for all employees, Virgin Atlantic recently updated its gender identity policy, no longer requiring pilots, flight crew, and the ground team to wear gendered uniforms. 

Now, staff will have the choice of either of the red and burgundy attire—both designed by Vivienne Westwood—regardless of their gender, gender identity, or gender expression, so they can best reflect themselves. 

According to the airliner, the change is part of an ongoing effort to encourage individuality, and will be rolled out alongside optional pronoun badges made available for both employees and traveling customers. 

Travelers looking to display their preferred pronouns can simply ask for the badge at the check-in desk or at the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse before boarding the flight. 

In addition, the company’s ticketing systems will now feature ‘U’ or ‘X’ gender codes for customers holding passports with gender-neutral markers, and will use the gender-neutral title ‘Mx’ as opposed to the usual ‘Mr’ and ‘Ms’. 

This change comes as part of the brand’s ‘Be Yourself’ agenda, which first launched in 2019 when cabin crew were offered the option of wearing makeup, and could opt for trousers and flat shoes. More recently, frontline employees were also allowed to show off visible tattoos. 

“The updated gender identity policy is so important to me. As a non-binary person, it allows me to be myself at work and have the choice in what uniform I wear,” said Jamie Forsstroem, Cabin Crew at Virgin Atlantic. 

“At Virgin Atlantic, 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,” summed up Juha Jarvinen, the brand’s Chief Commercial Officer. 

[via The Drum and Virgin Atlantic, cover image via Virgin Atlantic]