Gender Options Widening for Passengers on U.S. Airlines

Passengers traveling on major United States airlines may soon have the option of declaring a gender other than the traditional two options when purchasing a ticket.

According to a report by the Associated Press last month, “Major U.S. airlines say they will soon change their ticketing process to give passengers the option of identifying themselves as other than male or female.”

The AP noted that the “gender option on airline sites will soon include choices such ‘undisclosed’ or ‘unspecified’. There could also be the optional title of ‘Mx’.”

The airlines, according to the report,want to “be more inclusive in dealing with a diverse population of travelers.”

To travel on a commercial airline, passengers need to use information on government-issued identification, including gender, date of birth and gender.

The AP reported noted that major airlines, including “American, Delta, United, Southwest, Alaska and JetBlue confirmed (mid-February) that they are in the process of updating their booking tools and plan to add a binary option to the gender menu on their sites. They said the change will be made in the next several weeks.”