Several Legacy Airlines Gave Upwards of $70,000 to Promote LGBTQ+ and Diverse Pilots
A regional airline debuted a drag queen-inspired airplane at the National Gay Pilots Association (NGPA) annual Winter Warm-Up event earlier this month.
GoJet Airlines, which operates under United Express, a branch of United Airlines, proudly shared the images of the drag-themed aircraft on its Facebook following the event. The regional airline, like many others, values a diverse crew, claiming on its website that diversity “is what lends us our strength and what propels us forward.”
The NGPA has a host of sponsors that fund its numerous events around the country and globally, career advancement opportunities for LGBTQ+ and diverse pilots, and webinars for individuals in the aviation industry. Sponsors like American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Envoy Air, and United Airlines, have all given $70,000 or more to the non-profit organization.
JSX, Piedmont Airlines, and Southwest have donated $50,000 or more, while FlexJet, GoJet Airlines, Lift Academy flight training, PSA Airlines, and Republic Airways, another regional airline, gave the organization $25,000 or more, according to the NGPA’s website.
One corporate sponsor of the NGPA, Alaska Airlines, recently came under fire for its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments after a near-catastrophic incident in which the fuselage door was blown out mid-flight 16,000 feet above the ground, terrifying passengers and leading to a host of accusations from commentators. Boeing subcontractor, Spirit AeroSystems, which was responsible for installing the door that blew off in-flight, faced backlash as well, as many speculated that the corporations’ diverse hiring practices contributed to the incident.
Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX and Tesla, asked X (formerly Twitter) users in response to the event, “Do you want to fly in an airplane where they prioritized DEI hiring over your safety?”
“That is actually happening,” he added.
Libs of TikTok, a well-known account on the political right, shared a post which compiled videos from Alaska Airlines’ “Fly with Pride” event, with the caption, “In case you’re wondering what @Alaskaair has been focusing on, it’s diversity & inclusion.”
TPUSA Founder and CEO Charlie Kirk also shared, “In 2023, 19% of United’s pilot core was minority or female, which was already the highest among any airline. United’s CEO Steve Kirby bragged that the airline would mandate that their next pilot class would be 50% female/minority.”
“Why are 81% of United’s pilots white men currently? Is it because they happen to be the best pilots? Should we just assume it’s because woke United is secretly super racist? Or is it possible white men simply tend to be more interested in flying than other groups?” Kirk pressed. “If white men land the planes safely, what is the problem? … If hiring is based on merit, why aren’t there more minority/female pilots?”
When asked to comment on the mounting accusations, NGPA told TPUSA, “Teamwork and coordination is a critical part of any flight crew member’s duties. Inclusivity and diversity training is integral to building safer and better-coordinated crews.”
“NGPA applauds those who invest in effective crew resource management (CRM) as a safety of flight issue and are proud to advocate on behalf of LGBTQ+ aviators and other marginalized communities within the aviation industry,” the NGPA spokesperson added.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) policy surrounding transgender-identifying pilots has been a highly contentious debate for several years since the federal agency updated its policy surrounding transgender pilots in 2012. Before the rule change, transgender-identifying pilots were required to undergo extensive psychological testing to ensure they were mentally fit to pilot an aircraft with hundreds of people onboard. Now, psychological testing is only required when “clinically indicated,” according to ABC.
Airline pilots are required to hold a first-class medical, which excludes any individual with a “personality disorder that is severe enough to have repeatedly manifested itself by overt acts,” according to the FAA. Any individual with a history of psychosis, delusions, “grossly bizarre or disorganized behavior,” or hallucinations would be disqualified from holding this medical certificate.
Many have also alluded to research suggesting that transgender-identifying individuals have a much higher self-reported rate of suicidality compared to the general public. According to the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, “81% of transgender adults in the U.S. have thought about suicide, 42% of transgender adults have attempted it.” This unfortunate statistic has undoubtedly raised concerns among the public and frequent air travelers.
Despite passenger concerns, the airline industry has continued to support many similar progressive initiatives. The NGPA has 30 aviation Business Members, largely comprised of smaller regional and charter airlines, which pay an annual membership fee of $500 and receive access to “inclusion training materials,” a “members only” job page, and “priority scheduling of our Inclusion Training Team.” The NGPA partners with NetJets, Southwest Airlines, Piedmont Airlines, and PSA Airlines, in addition to several other charter companies and flight schools, which are all current Business Members of the organization.
The NGPA’s 2024 Industry Expo, which concluded earlier this month, was presented by United Airlines and deemed a “resounding success,” by the organization. There, many individuals from across the aviation industry hosted career seminars and showed support for LGBTQ+ aviators.
The NGPA has also hosted video webinars with various airlines, one of which, Wheels Up, has a partnership with Delta Airlines, and joined the NGPA in 2021 to reaffirm its commitment to DEI hiring practices.
“I want to talk to you as a diverse person, to a diverse person,” Stephanie Chung, the former Chief Growth Officer at Wheels Up from 2020 to 2023, said during the webinar. “I am the highest-ranked African American in private aviation, it has been my life’s work to make sure we diversity this space.”
“As the growth department, what we focus in on is — we focus in on the female community, the people of color community, and the LGBTQ+ community,” Chung continued. “[W]e [want to] make sure our diverse employees have a voice at the table, and that they have a strong career path and that they are learning from us, but more importantly, that we are learning from them.”
The company has since removed the position of Chief Growth Officer from its website. This move appears to be on par with the tech industry, which drastically cut the number of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in 2023.
PSA Airlines, which has partnered with the NGPA for several years, also hosted a webinar alongside the organization in which the company celebrated having the “most diverse” pilot new hire class in 2021, with 11 out of 22 members qualifying as “diverse.”
