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. "You know, we're looking at some legacy language that exists in some of our employee manuals. And getting to the root of the way some things are described and saying, ‘Does that actually send a message of inclusivity?’"

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Delta released an inclusive language guide in December 2020 which advised employees and leaders against using terms that reinforce the notion that there are only two genders.

"Use gender-neutral language and pronouns. Do not use language that suggests a gender binary (male-female)," the Delta guide said. 

A Delta spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the company encourages its employees to use inclusive language. 

"Delta encourages our people to use language that is inclusive of everyone as our global customer base includes a broad range of diversity in cultural backgrounds, identity and experiences," the spokesperson said. 

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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."

The concept of being antiracist was significantly popularized by activist Ibram X. Kendi, with the publication of his book, "How to Be an Antiracist," in 2019. Some critics say that Kendi argues for current discrimination in order to atone for historical wrongs. Kendi believes, like Johnson, that it is not enough to not be racist; one must be an activist against racism. 

"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. 

In addition to recommendations for employees' communications, Delta has also pursued a top-down approach in its talent pipeline.

"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.

"We're starting on a quarterly basis to specifically measure those representation gaps at every level of the company. So we're looking at the front line representation gap," she said. 

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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. 

"The next thing we said is we were just going to flat out address inequity," she said. "And when we say we're boldly pursuing equity, that's what we mean. So we were going to lend our voice and our brand to things that support… justice and… equity. We're going to look at where we spend our PAC dollars. We're going to look at what legislation we should support," Johnson said on the DEI panel.

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However, some employees have not been "comfortable" with the changes, according to Johnson. 

"Perhaps the greatest challenge has been normalizing those conversations," she said. "So, notice I said the company has set an expectation that those conversations are to be normalized… That doesn't mean everyone feels that way. It doesn't mean that everyone's comfortable having those conversations." 

When asked about Johnson's leadership, Delta told Fox News Digital, "Delta is demonstrating an authentic commitment to being a workplace where all people can thrive and where we reflect the rich humanity of the customers and communities we serve across the globe."