Airlines Scrub DEI From Latest Annual Reports

Major U.S. airlines are starting to dial down statements on diversity, equity and inclusion hiring policies after wide-ranging pushback from the Trump administration. 

In American Airlines’ 2024 10-K, the company didn’t include a section on DEI – it had DEI sections in each of the four prior years. 

In its 2023 annual report, American said, “Cultivating an environment that celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is a priority for us,” and listed out a range of initiatives the company had done to increase its diversity. 

This year, American said, “We seek to hire the best and brightest,” and made no mention of diversity. 

United Airlines had a similar shift. In its most recent annual report, there are no mentions of “diversity, equity and inclusion.”  

Last year, in the same report, United provided statistics on the percentage of women and underrepresented minorities in its workforce. The company provided similar statistics in 2022, 2021, and 2020. 

JetBlue and Alaska Airlines also did not have any statements on DEI hiring policies in their most recent annual reports, but did include such statements in their 2023 10-Ks. 

“The report reflects that we have always hired based on merit and qualifications, especially as safety is critical to our airline,” JetBlue said in a statement to Skift. “We believe in the programs, practices, and policies that we’ve put in place to create a workplace where people feel valued, respected, and able to do their best work.” 

Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines are the only two major U.S. carriers that included a statement on DEI in their 2024 annual reports. 

“Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is critical to effective human capital management at Delta,” Delta said in its 2024 10-K. The carrier also emphasized in the same report that its hiring practices were “merit-based.” 

Last year, the Atlanta-based carrier said one of its DEI initiatives included: “Closing diversity gaps in senior leadership positions by increasing the representation of women, Black and Latin/Hispanic groups in those roles.”

This year, Delta didn’t mention closing any diversity gap in senior leadership, but instead it was “ adopting recruitment strategies that seek qualified leadership candidates with diverse experiences, skills and perspectives and expanding leadership development programs to continue promoting from within.”

Southwest said in its 2024 annual report that “DEIB [diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging] is a part of the Company’s culture.”

Southwest didn’t mention initiatives related to hiring more women and underrepresented minorities in the report, but had such mentions in its 2023 report. 

Airlines and DEI

The industry has been slow to close its gender and racial gaps. For example, around 80% of flight attendants are women. But only 8% are pilots, even with a significant increase in pushes to recruit more female pilots.

Delta’s and United’s most recent ESG reports from 2023 say that women make up around 34% and 33% of senior roles, respectively. 

American, Delta, United and JetBlue also signed onto the International Air Transport Association’s “25 by 2025,” a pledge to increase female representation among corporate and frontline roles. 

DEI policies in corporate America took off in 2020 following the George Floyd protests. Many industries, including airlines, started publicly embracing diversity hiring policies. 

And as the industry faced an acute pilot shortage following the pandemic, airlines made major strides to recruit more women and people of color into those roles. 

United opened a flight school called the United Aviate Academy and covered much of the hefty costs associated with becoming a pilot. The carrier touted that 80% of its first Aviate class were either women or people of color. United also has business resource groups for its employees.

Delta partnered with historically Black Hampton University as part of its collegiate pilot career path pipeline. And Alaska launched a partnership with Sisters in the Sky in 2019 to increase its representation of Black female pilots by 2025. 

DEI Becomes Contentious for Airlines

President Trump and allies like Elon Musk have blamed DEI hiring policies for compromising safety in the airline industry. 

In a post on X, Musk claimed DEI was a reason for the Alaska Airlines blowout last year. 

“Do you want to fly in an airplane where they prioritized DEI hiring over your safety?” Musk wrote on X. “That is actually happening.”

Trump blamed DEI for a fatal collision near Reagan National Airport, without citing any evidence. The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the incident. 

Some airline executives have also changed the way they talk about DEI, instead emphasizing that their companies hire on merit. 

“Well, we do hire on merit,” United CEO Scott Kirby said during a January 22 call with analysts. “We can hire the absolute best of the best and have a naturally diverse workforce.”

Delta CEO Ed Bastian told the Atlanta Journal Constitution last month that DEI hiring is merit-based. 

“We don’t have DEI initiatives. We have people initiatives. … That’s the way it’s always been. It’s core to who we are,” Bastian said. 

Backlash Against DEI

U.S. airlines toning down their language on DEI reflects a broader trend in corporate America. 

Walmart, Ford, Meta, and McDonald’s have walked back their DEI programs. BlackRock also removed references to DEI in its annual report.

The pullback started last year after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions. 

Trump has issued multiple executive orders to end federal  DEI programs and to bar the practice by federal contractors. A federal judge in Maryland blocked these bans on February 21. 

Another executive order asked federal agencies to flag corporate diversity hiring programs for potential investigation.

A report from law firm White & Case advised companies filing 10-Ks to “carefully consider their diversity disclosure and ensure it is updated and aligns with a company's current priorities and policies.”

U.S. agencies, including the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration, have deleted webpages related to DEI hiring policies.