Airlines Boost Workplace Diversity with New Recruitment Strategies

After a year in which discussions about race dominated the national conversation in ways not seen since the 1960s, many organizations began rethinking their policies and priorities. The airline industry was among them.

Airline executives publicly condemned racial injustice and the killing of George Floyd, protested violence targeting Asian communities, opposed restrictive voting laws, and voiced support for LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination protections. Yet data and independent rankings show there remains significant work to be done.

© RAWPIXELIMAGES | DREAMSTIME.COM

Forbes’ 2021 rankings of America’s Best Employers for Diversity show a mixed picture for U.S. carriers. Delta Air Lines ranked highest among major carriers at No. 112 out of 500 employers, followed by JetBlue at 126 and Alaska Airlines at 209. Southwest, United and American ranked further down the list. A separate Forbes diversity report card for airline executive teams also found uneven representation across leadership, with several carriers receiving low marks.

Government data underscores the challenge: a 2020 Bureau of Labor Statistics survey reported that just 3.4 percent of U.S. aircraft pilots and flight engineers are Black, and women represent only 5.6 percent of pilots. Faced with these disparities, several airlines have strengthened existing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and launched new initiatives to broaden hiring pipelines and advance underrepresented talent.

ALASKA AIRLINES

Alaska Airlines has partnered with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) for 15 years as part of a long-term commitment to expand career opportunities. In April the carrier unveiled a special livery titled “Our Commitment” to highlight support for education, equity and belonging.

Ben Minicucci, Alaska’s CEO, described the aircraft as a symbol of the company’s intent to amplify conversations about education and opportunity. The airline pledged to donate 1 million miles annually to support students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities and established a scholarship fund through UNCF.

Internally, Alaska has set a goal to align the racial diversity of its leadership with the diversity seen at frontline and manager levels by 2025. To achieve that, the airline updated recruiting strategies and processes to reduce bias, including mandatory diverse candidate slates and interview panels, revamped succession planning, and expanded internship and college partnerships. Alaska works with organizations such as the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals and Girls Rock Wings to attract and mentor underrepresented talent and created leadership development and sponsorship programs to build a more inclusive pipeline.

Alaska also ties DEI metrics to executive performance and uses data analytics to pinpoint gaps in recruitment and retention. Measuring progress and holding leaders accountable are central to the carrier’s approach.

AMERICAN AIRLINES

American Airlines launched a Community Council late last year, sponsored by President Robert Isom. The group includes senior executives and Black community leaders who provide feedback on company initiatives, with an emphasis on improving the customer travel experience for underrepresented communities.

To cultivate and retain Black leaders, American piloted a sponsorship program in 2020 to connect Black directors and managing directors with senior executives. The voluntary program pairs participants with senior leaders to foster relationship-building, expose sponsors to the everyday challenges Black professionals face, and support advancement into senior roles.

American has long supported LGBTQ+ equality and for nearly two decades has received perfect marks from the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index. The airline was among the first major U.S. carriers to include gender identity and sexual orientation in its nondiscrimination policies and has supported legal protections for LGBTQ+ employees and customers. The company also advocates for hate crime legislation in states where it operates.

Leadership at American emphasizes empathy and inclusion. CEO Doug Parker shared his experience participating in a Fast for Unity hosted by the airline’s Muslim Employee Business Resource Group, describing how the practice fostered greater understanding and respect among colleagues.

DELTA AIR LINES

Delta appears on several lists recognizing workplaces for diversity, but company leaders acknowledge there is more to accomplish.

“DEI isn’t a program or an initiative; for us it’s integrated in every aspect of our business,” said Keyra Lynn Johnson, Delta’s chief diversity and inclusion officer. The airline seeks to reflect the diversity of its frontline across all levels and is focused on closing representation gaps.

Delta emphasizes building internal career pathways so frontline employees can advance into management. The airline expanded recruitment at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, requires diversity and inclusion plans at schools where it recruits, and evaluates hiring criteria to remove unnecessary barriers tied to tenure rather than skills.

Delta’s Diversity & Inclusion Council, comprised of 30 senior leaders, monitors progress and ensures transparency and accountability. The company is tracking pay equity and long-term targets to increase gender and racial diversity, with DEI goals embedded in corporate and divisional planning.

Delta’s external partnerships support broader economic inclusion. The carrier expanded collaboration with Operation HOPE to back the One Million Black Business and Entrepreneur Initiative and joined the OneTen coalition to advance 1 million Black Americans into sustainable careers. Delta also partnered with organizations such as the Society of Women Engineers and Girls Who Code to boost representation in STEM fields and developed the Propel Pilot Career Path Program to create routes into pilot careers.

“We’re a purpose-driven company,” Johnson said. “It’s not only about connecting people to places but, in a broader sense, respecting the world we serve.”

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES

Tara Shimooka, Hawaiian Airlines’ external communications manager, says the carrier’s focus on diversity and inclusion drives business results. Hawaiian emphasizes competitive compensation and benefits, as well as training, mentoring and career development to retain employees.

The airline uses evidence-based hiring and promotion practices to reduce bias and reports that roughly 80 percent of its workforce identifies as ethnically diverse and about 48 percent by gender. Hawaiian leads the U.S. industry with more than 9 percent women pilots—well above the domestic average—and nearly half of its pilots identify as a racial or ethnic minority, primarily Asian or Pacific Islander.

Hawaiian recruits at career events for veterans, people with disabilities, women and underrepresented communities, and offers inclusive policies and benefits for employees of all sexual orientations and gender identities.

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES

Southwest has pursued inclusion for many years and intensified those efforts after 2020. The airline conducted listening forums and workshops, formed a DEI Rapid Response Team, and launched an education and training program with recurrent, required DEI training for leaders. It also implemented processes to ensure diverse candidate slates and interview panels for leadership roles and now posts all open leadership positions publicly to increase transparency.

Raquel Daniels, Southwest’s director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, says the carrier is working to publish clearer workforce representation data and evolve processes to hold the company accountable. Employee-led groups like the Diversity Council and Military Ambassador programs play active roles championing equity and fostering an inclusive workplace.