I was oddly reminded of that conversation last week amid the criticism surrounding the publication of companies’ gender pay gaps.

As with most sectors, the data from travel companies was unsurprising. The number of men in senior management teams is typically far greater than the number of women, while in more junior roles the opposite is true.

Critics were quick to point out that such comparisons of pay is therefore meaningless – if men and women are doing different jobs, it is entirely logical that their pay will differ.

This is true of aviation. The discrepancy in pay between men and women in the sector is vast as pilots are typically male and earn substantially more than their (largely female) cabin crew colleagues.

The real issue, though, is not only why such senior roles are male dominated but how companies can address this imbalance. As Karen Gill, co-founder of everywoman, points out: “What happens next is more important than the many league tables that will be published following the deadline”.

It is heartening to see that travel is already responding. Virgin Atlantic has revealed ambitions to achieve a 50-50 male-female balance in leadership roles; Tui has pledged to address gender balance in senior management roles, while Thomas Cook Airlines has launched a programme specifically for female pilots.

The publishing of companies’ gender pay gaps may have told us nothing new, but it has at least got everyone talking about it. And once the conversations start, so too does the change. That’s a landscape we will all be able to appreciate.