FOLLOWING United Airlines’
(UA) announcement
last week that it has
become the first US airline
to offer non-binary gender
options throughout all
booking channels, TNW has
investigated the procedures
for gender-specific and nonspecific options in the GDSs.
UA says passengers can
now identify themselves
as male (M), female (F),
undisclosed (U) or unspecified
(X). They also have the option
of selecting the title Mx.
(pronounced mix), which is an
accepted gender-neutral title.
From a GDS perspective,
Jannine Adams, senior
manager marketing and
communications of Amadeus,
said Amadeus had never
required agents to specify
gender when creating a PNR,
other than in the free format
name field. She said Mx.
was an accepted title in the
Amadeus system but the onus
was on the travel agent to
make sure that the airline they
were booking was willing to
accept this term.
A Travelport spokesperson
said: “When booking a flight
through Travelport, the only
time an agent is required to
identify the traveller’s gender
is when the government
in the country the flight
is being booked from
requires advance passenger
information. This applies in
a handful of countries, such
as the United States. When
information on a passenger’s
gender is required, Travelport
allows the genders that are
defined by Iata. The gender
codes that can be used
are F (Female), M (Male),
MI (Male Infant), FI (Female
Infant), and U (Undisclosed
Gender). Travelport will
add the gender code X
(Unspecified Gender) on
June 1, 2019.”
TNW contacted Sabre for
information on its non-binary
gender booking options but
had not heard back at time of
going to print.
Michael Gladwin, owner of
Afrigay by The Travel and Event
Company, said the news was
very progressive and just what
the industry needed. He said
one of the primary agendas
of the International Gay and
Lesbian Travel Association
was to educate the public
about the needs of the LGBT
community and that initiatives
of this kind, which promoted
equality, would always be
welcomed.
Non-binary gender booking options leap forward
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