Doesn’t it feel good to be part of the hospitality community when it makes a stand for diversity?
The latest example: Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays announced the UK’s first Pride Flight between London and New York City. The flight takes off next June 28 during World Pride 2019, which is being held in the U.S. for the first time ever in New York City. It also marks the 50th anniversary of the city’s Stonewall Uprising, a pivotal moment in the LGBT community.
But, in addition to making a statement, those buying tickets for the flight will inevitably be in for a serious dose of fun. Tituss Burgess, a known gay actor and the star of “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” will play host to a series of entertaining live performances. An on-board DJ, Drag Queen Bingo, Judy Garland sing-along, inter-seat speed dating and special in-flight entertainment are all part of the mix. And you better believe the flight will be staffed entirely by LGBT pilots and cabin crew.
“We’re not the type of company to mark an occasion like this half-heartedly and we’re going to be pulling out all the stops to ensure the Pride Flight is delivered with a large serving of Virgin flair,” says Mark Anderson, global LGBT lead for Virgin Group and executive vice president at Virgin Atlantic. “We take our commitments to diversity and inclusion seriously, but you can rest assured we have a lot of fun along the way.”
A portion of ticket sales will go to The Attitude Magazine Foundation, which supports community Pride initiatives in the U.K, and fundraising and raffles will also take place on the flight.
So, what’s next? Perhaps, an LGBT meeting at 38,000 feet in the air? We can surely dream…
