The following US-based airlines have demonstrated outstanding commitments to being welcoming air carriers for gay travelers as well as to their LGBT employees:
Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air* – Alaska Air Group operates Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, which together serve more than 90 cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. The airline company frequently sponsors LGBT-related events such as the 2008 Gay Softball World Series and Palm Springs Summer Splash 2009. It operates a corporate-wide gay-specific microsite.
American* – Fort Worth, Texas’ AMR Corp. is the parent company of American Airlines, one of the largest airlines in the world. Together with sister company American Eagle and regional carriers that operate as American Connection, American serve 250 cities in 40 countries with, on average, more than 3,400 daily flights. It was the first major airline to implement both sexual orientation and gender identity in its workplace nondiscrimination policies and the first major airline to have a recognized LGBT employee resource group, GLEAM. American was also the first major airline to implement same-sex domestic partner benefits and offers equal health coverage and travel privileges to same-sex partners of its employees. In 2002, American was the only airline to earn a perfect 100 rating in HRC’s first Corporate Equality Index, a rating it has retained each year. It operates a corporate-wide gay-specific microsite.
Continental* – Continental Airlines, based in Houston, Texas, is the world’s fifth largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 2,750 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. Continental has become more gay-friendly to is customers and employees in recent years. The airline is currently joined with the city of Cleveland in its bid to host Gay Games IX. In 2006, the company’s HRC Corporate Equality Index rating was just 65. It received a 80 rating for 2009 and a perfect 100 for 2010.
Delta* – Delta Air Lines is the world’s largest airline; along with its Northwest subsidiary and Delta Connection carriers, it provides service to 368 destinations in 66 countries and serve more than 170 million passengers each year. Delta earned an 85 on HRC’s 2009 CEI. With a change to the company’s non-discrimination policy to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity, Delta as expected received a perfect 100 rating on HRC’s 2010 CEI. It operates a corporate-wide gay-specific microsite. (NOTE: In 2008, Delta acquired Northwest Airlines, which had a 85 on HRC’s 2008 CEI.)
JetBlue* – In February 2000, JetBlue launched operations with its inaugural flight between New York’s JFK and Fort Lauderdale, FL. Since that time, the New York-based airline has grown to serve 56 cities with 650 daily flights. It has also become a welcomed friend of the LGBT community, providing support to organizations like the Gay Men’s Domestic Violence Project in Boston, the Ali Forney Center for homeless LGBT youth in New York City, the National HIV/AIDS Nightline in San Francisco, the New York Gay Football League and the Florida Gay Rodeo Association. JetBlue earned an 80 on HRC’s 2009 CEI and a perfect 100 for 2010. It operates a corporate-wide gay-specific microsite.
Southwest* – More than 38 years ago, Rollin King and Herb Kelleher got together and decided to start a different kind of airline. They began with one simple notion: If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make darn sure they have a good time doing it, people will fly your airline. And they were right. Today, that notion clearly includes gay travelers. It has stated publicly that it believes that reaching out to the LGBT community is the right thing to do from both a financial and social standpoint. Southwest earned an 90 on HRC’s 2009 CEI and justed to 95 for 2010. It operates a corporate-wide gay-specific microsite.
United – United Airlines operates nearly 3,000 flights a day on United and United Express to more than 200 U.S. domestic and international destinations from its hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago and Washington, DC. United was one of the first US airlines to prohibit discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation and the first to announce domestic partner benefits for its employees and retirees. United was the first U.S. airline to advertise in lesbian and gay media and the first to tailor a national advertising campaign to the lesbian and gay market. United earned an 88 on HRC’s 2010 CEI.
US Airways – US Airways, along with US Airways Shuttle and US Airways Express, operates more than 3,200 flights per day and serves more than 200 communities in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America. In 2005, it become the second airline to receive a perfect 100 on HRC’s CEI.
Virgin America – Launched in August 2007, the airline was named “Best Domestic Airline” in the Cond Nast Traveler 2008 Readers’ Choice Awards and in Travel + Leisure’s 2008 and 2009 World’s Best Awards. Virgin America’s base of operations is San Francisco International Airport. The carrier earned an 80 on HRC’s 2010 CEI, its first year being ranked.
Unless otherwise noted, each of the companies received a 100 rating in HRC’s 2010 Corporate Equality Index, which provides an in-depth analysis and rating of large US employers and their policies and practices pertinent to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees, consumers and investors.
* Designates a corporate member of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2317234/top_gayfriendly_us_airlines.html
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