Delta’s Top DEI Officer Jettisons ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ Gate Announcements as Part of Equity Push

Over the last few years, Delta Air Lines has embraced the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) agenda under the purview of a chief officer who believes that the phrase “ladies and gentlemen” isn’t inclusive.

Delta’s Chief Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Social Impact Officer Kyra Lynn Johnson has said publicly Delta is striving to “boldly pursue equity” which has impacted every level of the company, from its hiring practices to the language it uses in gate announcements.

“So we’re beginning to take a hard look at things like our gatehouse announcements. You know, we welcome ‘ladies and gentlemen.’ And we’ve asked ourselves, ‘Is that as gender inclusive as we want to be?’” Johnson said during a February 2021 panel with other DEI insiders. {snip}

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Also, during the DEI panel in 2021, Johnson stressed how it was important to Delta to be an “antiracist company.”

“To really come out and say, as an organization, that we are an antiracist company was really important to us,” she said. “We are going to actively seek diversity. We’re also talking about how we’re going to boldly pursue equity. And we’re talking about the steps we’re taking to consciously promote inclusion.”

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“So, we realize, like many of you have, that it’s not enough just to say, ‘We aren’t racist,’ but to say that you are antiracist,” Johnson added.

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“We said we’re going to reimagine and redefine our talent strategy,” Johnson said, with a focus on being “intentional about the representation that we need.”

She added how those metrics would be closely tracked and measured by Delta’s DEI team.

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In addition to applying DEI to Delta’s internal culture, Johnson said in a November 2021 interview with the Airline Tariff Publishing Company that the airline was looking to push DEI externally.

The company evaluated how it was spending its “PAC dollars” and which “legislation we should support” to mitigate what it deemed “inequity,” she said.

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