Improving its service for deaf and hard-of-hearing passengers, Virgin Atlantic has become the first UK airline to offer British Sign Language (BSL) trained flight crew. The airline recently put its commitment to the test by inviting deaf Gladiators star Jodie Ounsley and deaf content creators Hermon and Heroda Berhane to experience the enhanced service on a flight from London to Washington, DC — and it promoted the initiative in a sign-language-only video.
Research by RNID, a UK charity supporting the 18 million people in the UK who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus, indicates 82% of deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals plan to travel in the coming year. Over half are worried about communicating with crew members. When flying with Virgin Atlantic, they can request a trained staff member who can use BSL to welcome passengers, assist with navigation, relay announcements and help with accessible in-flight entertainment. The airline is also working on increasing subtitled entertainment options and implementing on-demand BSL interpreters for customer service teams.
Virgin Atlantic isn't the first airline to get its cabin crew signing:
🇹🇷 In 2017, Turkey hosted the Deaflympics and Turkish Airlines introduced a six-day 'international hearing impairment language training' program
🇺🇸 In 2019, Delta debuted name tags identifying crew members who speak sign language
🇳🇿 In May 2024, Air New Zealand flew the world's first commercial flight where attendants communicated with passengers using New Zealand Sign Language
🇮🇳 In May 2024, Indian low-cost airline SpiceJet started adding attendants trained in sign language to select flights
🇸🇦 In June 2024, low-cost Saudi carrier Flynas announced it would be training cabin crew in sign language
🤟 Those corporate DEI efforts overlap with a growing interest in sign language among non-deaf individuals, fueled by interpreters captivating audiences during concerts and COVID-19 briefings, and by easily accessible tutorials on YouTube and TikTok (not all of which are accurate 🙄). That wider popularity is making it easier for brands across various sectors to engage workers in learning sign language, potentially leading to more inclusive workplaces, public spaces and service industries.