CHICAGO — “Fly how you identify.” United Airlines announced Friday that they will now offer customers options besides just male and female to identify themselves when booking flights.
Travelers can now identify themselves as M(male), F(female), U(undisclosed) or X(unspecified), corresponding with what is indicated on their passport or identification, United said in a statement.
They can also be called the gender-neutral title “Mx.” during booking and on their MileagePlus profiles.
Fly how you identify. Our new non-binary gender options are now available.
— United Airlines (@united) March 22, 2019
“United is determined to lead the industry in LGBT inclusivity, and we are so proud to be the first U.S. airline to offer these inclusive booking options for our customers,” United’s Chief Customer Officer Toby Enqvist said. “United is excited to share with our customers, whether they identify along the binary of male or female or not, that we are taking the steps to exhibit our care for them while also providing additional employee training to make us even more welcoming for all customers and employees.”
United worked with the Human Rights Campaign and the Trevor Project to implement these changes, as well as on employee training initiatives.
However, the Transportation Security Administration currently requires passengers to disclose their gender identification prior to flying. The portion of TSA’s website dedicated to transgender passengers states that screening is conducted “without regard to a person’s race, color, sex, gender identity, national origin, religion or disability.”
TSA also requires passengers to book flights using the same name, birth date and gender listed on their government-issued ID.