United Airlines has partnered with Virgin Australia to connect US travelers to the world’s largest Pride celebration in Sydney with a special flight staffed exclusively by members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community.
On February 22, 2023, celebrations at San Francisco International Airport began with a gate celebration, giveaways and onboard activities and ended with a welcome party upon arrival in Sydney. While Virgin Australia has been offering dedicated domestic flights in Australia for Pride since 2021, this marks the first time United has joined the effort.
Lori Augustine, United’s vice president of operations in San Francisco, said, “At United, we recognize, embrace and celebrate the differences that make our customers and employees unique. We are committed to creating an inclusive work environment while supporting the diverse communities we serve. Our Pride Flight is another example of good moving forward at United.”
Jayne Hrdlicka, CEO of Virgin Australia Group, said: “It is so important that we speak out to promote diversity and inclusion in the communities where we live, work and fly. Our partnership with United Airlines is incredibly important and it is wonderful to witness the collaboration between the airlines and the joy we have brought to our guests by spreading our pride across the Pacific Rim and Australia.”
United has an ongoing commitment to LGBTQ+ equality, including a proud history of firsts. United was the first U.S. airline to fully recognize domestic partnerships in 1999 and was the first U.S. airline to offer non-binary gender options across all of its booking channels in 2019.
In addition, United remains committed to inclusion and empowering employees to be themselves at work. That’s why in 2021, the airline updated its appearance standards, moving away from gender-specific guidelines and allowing customer-facing employees to present themselves authentically through visible tattoos, nose piercings, hair, makeup, nails and more.
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