Japan Airlines announced on September 28 that employees will start using gender-neutral terms during in-flight and airport announcements.Instead of leading with the common phrase, “ladies and gentlemen,” the company will start saying “passengers” or “everyone” instead.This new rule applies to English announcements because the terms are already gender-neutral in Japanese.It’s a major step for Japan, a relatively conservative country that does not legally recognize same-sex marriage.Starting on October 1, Japan Airlines “will abolish expressions that based on (two types of) sex and use gender-friendly expression[s]” a spokesperson told AFP.Japan Airlines will be the first Japanese airline to experiment with the change.This is one of several progressive moves the airline has made in recent years.In March, Japan Airlines became the first major employer in Japan to stop forcing a dress code on female staffers.In 2019, Japan Airlines changed its rules to extend spouse and family allowances — such as ticket discounts and car rental deals — to include same-sex partners.“This … was operated with the aim of making more people aware of the activities that support LGBTQ and promoting understanding of LGBTQ throughout society,” Japan Airlines said in a press release