The carrier will offer its people a fluid approach to its uniforms, meaning LGBT+ colleagues will be able to choose either the red or the burgundy uniform, depending on which best reflects themselves.
The announcement is part of an ongoing drive by the airline to champion the individuality of its people and customers and is complemented by the roll-out of optional pronoun badges for all its people and those travelling with the airline.
The badges will be available to teams and customers from Wednesday (28 September). Passengers can ask for their preferred badge at the check-in desk or in the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse.
The carrier has also updated its ticketing systems to allow for those who hold passports with gender neutral gender markers to select U or X gender codes on their booking as well as the gender-neutral title, Mx.
Currently, citizens from a small number of countries including the US, India and Pakistan are able to hold these passports and travellers must travel on the codes that match their passport.
Virgin Atlantic is implementing a longer-term plan to amend communication preferences to ensure customers are addressed by their preferred pronouns across all touchpoints.
Mandatory inclusivity training will also be rolled out for its people at all levels across Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Atlantic Holidays as well as a series of inclusivity learning initiatives for tourism partners and hotels.
The announcement comes as research carried out by the airline found that enabling employees to express their true selves at work boosts happiness (65%), increases mental wellbeing (49%), creates a more positive workplace culture (36%) and provides a better experience for customers (24%).
Juha Jarvinen, Virgin Atlantic’s chief commercial officer, said: "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. It is for that reason that we want to allow our people to wear the uniform that best suits them and how they identify and ensure our customers are addressed by their preferred pronouns."
