TUI will no longer refer to passengers as 'ladies and gentlemen' in a move that's been branded 'woke' in some quarters. The holiday firm says the move is designed to be more inclusive and has encouraged its staff to use gender neutral language.
Holidaymakers will now be addressed as 'passengers' when greeted by the captain on a flight. But the move is unpopular for many, with some branding it "more woke nonsense".
The term 'woke' is generally used to insult various progressive movements, DorsetLive reports. Bob Lister said in a tweet: "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".
He tweeted: "More wokeness. When will this madness stop? TUI tells cabin crew to use gender-neutral language for passengers." But the holiday firm has defended the move.
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."
Read next:
