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How 9 Airlines Are Celebrating International Women’s Day
Melanie Lieberman
Managing Editor for Global Features
Melanie is currently the managing editor for global features at TPG, where she oversees daily travel and lifestyle news, destination coverage, travel features and reports. Prior to TPG, Melanie was an editor at Travel + Leisure magazine, and her work has appeared in Bloomberg Pursuits, Yahoo Travel, Jetsetter, Boston Common magazine, Luxe City Guides, Thrillist and Saveur magazine, among others. She has been recognized for her journalism, poetry, prose and playwriting in various competitions and festivals, and has been featured as a travel expert by notable outlets across radio, podcasts, in print and on television, including "Good Morning America," MSNBC, Fox Business and The Weather Channel.
March 08, 2019
•
2 min read
How 9 Airlines Are Celebrating International Women’s Day
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In an industry historically underrepresented by women, airlines across the globe are honoring their female employees and passengers to commemorate International Women’s Day.
Ethiopian Airlines, for example, marked the day by operating all-female flight and ground crews — from airport operations to dispatch, catering and security, the BBC reported. An all-female-crew flight departed from Addis Ababa and landed in Oslo on Friday morning.
The African airline isn’t the only one celebrating International Women’s Day with women-run flights. In Colombo, the national carrier SriLankan Airlines operated its first-ever flight with an all-female flight crew on Friday between Colombo and Singapore. Etihad Airways flight EY17 was also the first for the airline with an all-female crew. Air Canada and Brussels Airlines flew similarly symbolic, all female-operated flights on Friday.
Airlines across India observed International Women’s Day with flights operated entirely by women (52 just from Air India). The budget carrier GoAir went one step further, promising women discounted upgrades to the front of the plane on March 8, depending on availability.
In a tweet this morning, Aer Lingus announced it would honor the occasion by offering complimentary priority boarding to all female passengers. The airline also made a meaningful — and lasting — change to its policy. On Friday, Aer Lingus relaxed the dress code for female cabin crew members by no longer requiring women to wear skirts or makeup.
It’s a move that follows closely in the wake of Virgin Atlantic’s decision to scrap makeup requirements for women flight crew members.
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In another symbolic move, Norwegian added eight new female “tail fin heroes” to celebrate the holiday. The low-cost carrier will add British writers Charlotte Brontë and Virginia Woolf to the fleet of tail fin portraits, along with civil rights activist Emmeline Pankhurst, and nursing pioneers Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole, among others.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
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Why We Chose It
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- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.