Major airlines are adding non-binary gender options for boarding passes

Graham Rapier

Feb 16, 2019, 01:52 IST

Major airlines are adding non-binary gender options for boarding passes

CaseyMartin/Shutterstock

Major airlines are adding non-binary gender designations to their ticketing options.

Major US airlines plan to offer non-binary gender options for boarding passes later this year.
The move was announced by trade group Airlines for America on Friday, The Daily Beast reported.
Delta also said it was adding the option in an unrelated bid for inclusivity.

Non-binary gender designations have been slowly making their way to some state IDs - and may finally be coming to airline ticketing.

Airlines for America, the trade group that represents major domestic airlines including American, Alaska, United, Southwest, and JetBlue, announced Friday that its members will add an "X" option for non-binary passengers, effective June 1, 2019.

In a statement to The Daily Beast, which first reported the news, the organization said it had "recently approved a new international standard that will allow for 'unspecified' and 'undisclosed' as options in addition to 'male' or 'female.'"

Delta Air Lines, which is not a part of A4A, confirmed to Business Insider that it also plans to offer the option, but that the rollout is part of its ongoing business strategy to be inclusive of all passengers.

"As part of Delta's ongoing efforts to accommodate the needs of diverse customers throughout our business, we are planning to offer a non-binary gender option during the booking process," a spokesperson said.

As of January 31, 11 US states including Washington, DC, offered a third gender option on IDs. The Transportation Security Administration says on its website that passengers' bookings should "use the same name, gender and birthdate" as appears on their government-issued ID.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which develops global passport standards, has allowed an "X" to be used for gender since 1996.