TUI has stopped referring to passengers as "ladies and gentlemen" in a bid to be more gender-neutral. The airline will instead greet people with the words: “Good morning, passengers, this is your captain speaking.”
British Airways made a similar move in October last year but was branded 'woke' by critics, a word that refers to those who have an active awareness of systemic injustices and prejudices, especially those related to civil and human rights, reports Dorset Live.
The term, however, has developed a more pejorative meaning and is often used as an insult ascribed to various progressive movements.
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A TUI spokesperson said: "As a truly global business we’re committed to making sure our colleagues and customers feel that TUI is an inclusive environment and always feel welcome with us. We therefore encourage all our pilots and crew to ensure all public announcements onboard our aircraft are inclusive and this has been the case for some time."
TUI hopes that the move will be more inclusive for its staff and passengers, but not everyone has welcomed the change with some branding it as 'nonsense'. Bob Lister, from Poole, and was once council election candidate and agent for Ukip candidate David Young, took to social media to share his thoughts.
In a tweet, he wrote: TUI tells cabin crew to use gender-neutral language for passengers. More Woke Nonsense!" While Dr David Bull, Talk TV host and former MEP also took to social media and branded the move as "madness".Bob Lister, from Poole, who was once a council election candidate and agent for Ukip candidate David Young, tweeted: "TUI tells cabin crew to use gender-neutral language for passengers. More Woke Nonsense!"
Dr David Bull, Talk TV host and former MEP branded the move as "madness". He said: "More wokeness. When will this madness stop? TUI tells cabin crew to use gender-neutral language for passengers."
