London (TAN): British carrier Thomas Cook Airlines operated a ‘Fly with Pride’ flight from Manchester, United Kingdom to San Francisco, United States with an all-LGBTQ crew as part of celebrations for the Manchester Pride scheduled to take place later this month. The airline is a partner of Manchester Pride.
Chief Executive Officer of Thomas Cook Airlines, Christoph Debus, said ‘diversity’ was an intrinsic part of the company.
“We fly our customers all over the world and we don’t just want to get them from A to B. We want to connect people regardless of their sexuality, gender or race. We believe in a future where everyone can be who they want to be and travel the world while doing so. Today’s flight is not a one-off. It is a celebration for our colleagues and our customers and a symbol of every single one of our flights throughout the year. We carefully selected San Francisco as one of the largest and most prominent LGBT+ people in the world and is one of our key US destinations from Manchester Airport,” he added.
The flight’s crew, pilots, passengers and United Kingdom-based dance company House of Suarez arrived at the Manchester Airport in a Manchester-based Metrolink rainbow tram to kick off the festivities. They led a parade to check-in, after which a Pride party complete with DJ from LGBTQ radio station and performances from House of Suarez ensued.
Thomas Cook deployed its Airbus A330 aircraft adorned with the Pride heart to serve the route. The airline specially painted five of its aircraft in the Pride theme this year, each reflecting a decade since the Stonewall riots. Each of the aircraft also represent each of the five years the carrier has supported the Manchester Pride. Crew wore a specially designed uniform for the flight.
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“It is brilliant to see how Thomas Cook Airlines puts equality and inclusion at the heart of everything they do. This Pride flight is a symbol of many years of support for both Manchester Pride and LGBT+ people everywhere – something the team at Thomas Cook Airlines should be very proud of. I certainly am proud to have them as a partner again this year as sponsor of the Gay Village Party at the heart of Manchester Pride Festival,” Chief Executive Officer of Manchester Pride, Mark Fletcher, said.
Press Office Manager and Diversity Lead at Manchester Airport, Seb Thompson said ‘diversity, inclusivity and equality’ were of great importance to their business.
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“Our 29 million passengers and the 25,000 members of staff based on site come from a variety of rich and diverse backgrounds, so events like Pride and our year-round LGBT+ and equality initiatives are a great way to recognise and celebrate them. The activity here at Manchester Airport today and the flight to San Francisco is however much more than a celebration, it is about generating much needed awareness for LGBT+ people,” he added.
The airline will sponsor the Gay Village Party, including the Thomas Cook Airlines stage this year. it will not only participate in the parade but also unveil its new outdoor campaign throughout Manchester.
