A “non-binary” passenger has filed a lawsuit against European budget airline Ryanair for not offering gender-neutral title options when people book flights.
The passenger, whose name and real gender have not been publicly released, was booking a flight from Gran Canaria to Germany in October 2021 when they noticed the only title options were “Herr” (Mr.), “Frau” (Mrs.), or “Fräulein” (Ms.).
Nearly two years later, in July 2023, the passenger decided to sue the airline for “discrimination” and violating Germany’s General Equal Treatment Act.
Germany is one of 18 countries that legally recognizes “nonbinary” as a gender identity, which forms the basis of the plaintiff’s claim.
The plaintiff was seeking an out-of-court settlement, of course, but Ryanair officially refused earlier this week. The case will now be heard by the Berlin state court.
The passenger seeks $5,400 in damages and wants Ryanair to change its policy to have gender-neutral title options.
United Airlines became the first airline to offer non-binary titles in 2019, allowing people to choose “U” (undisclosed) or “X” (unspecified) as their genders.
The Times reports:
Other airlines, including British Airways, have followed suit. Virgin Atlantic allows customers to give “U” or “X” gender codes on their booking, as well as the gender-neutral title “Mx”. It also allows pilots and crew to choose whether they want to wear skirts.
British Airways has allowed male pilots and crew to wear make-up, jewellery and nail varnish. However, its website does not let passengers use the title “Mx” in a long drop-down menu ranging from “Mr” to “Viscount”.
Airlines have also dropped gendered greetings such as “ladies and gentlemen.” The staff of the German national airline, Lufthansa, have been told to use the address “Dear guests” or just “Welcome on board” rather than the old “Willkommen an Bord, meine Damen und Herren.”
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