Virgin Australia has operated dedicated pride flights to Sydney for Mardi Gras every year since 2021.
The special services are touted by the airline as "a celebration of diversity and inclusion" — but a feature of Virgin Australia's booking system means some are effectively excluded from taking part.
Despite every Virgin Australia passenger being required to select a gender and title when they book a flight, the airline doesn't offer any gender-neutral options for either category.
Customers can only choose 'male' or 'female' for their gender and there is no way to select the gender-neutral title 'Mx', meaning that when sex and gender diverse passengers make a booking with the airline, they're forced to pick an option that may not match their identity.
A spokesperson for Virgin Australia told SBS News the airline was "committed to creating an inclusive experience for all guests, including members of the LGBTQIA+ community".
"As part of this, we are working to modify the booking process to accommodate individuals who do not wish to have their gender displayed as part of their travel journey," they said.
Virgin Australia did not specify how long that process may take.
Virgin Australia has operated special pride flights to Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras every year since 2021. Source: Supplied / Carky Ravenhall/Virgin Australia
"This process is incredibly complex and it takes considerable time to implement a change like this. We do not yet have a date in place for the launch of non-binary customer-facing systems and we will keep you updated as we progress," they told the LGBTIQ+ publication in 2023.
Virgin Australia has committed to donating part of its pride flight profits to The Pinnacle Foundation, an LGBTIQ+ education charity.
Do other airlines have similar policies?
While Australia's other major airlines, Qantas, Jetstar, and Rex, don't require customers to select a gender on their booking form, a title is mandatory.
Like Virgin Australia, none of them offer a gender-neutral option such as Mx.
Qantas is one of Mardi Gras' major partners and has participated in the event's parade for several years.
A spokesperson for Qantas Group, which includes Jetstar, told SBS News: "We understand the importance of this to our customers and employees and are prioritising looking for ways to implement across our legacy IT systems."
Qantas is a major sponsor of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Source: AAP / Steven Saphore
Several international airlines already allow passengers to select gender-neutral terms when booking flights.
For example, Air New Zealand customers can choose 'Mx' as their title when making a booking, while United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic allow passengers to list their gender as 'undisclosed' or 'unspecified'.
