Every few days, a photo of well-dressed First Class airline passengers from the 1950s will pop up on social media platforms like Facebook, with an angry caption decrying how much standards have dropped, and claiming that the air travel experience would be so much better for everyone if passengers wore smarter, business-like clothes when they traveled.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has even bought into this argument, and earlier this year, he urged passengers to stop wearing pajamas to the airport as part of a wider campaign to herald in a new ‘golden era of air travel.’
But would wearing fancy clothes to the airport really change the travel experience? I’m inclined to say, absolutely not. As many others have pointed out, air travel has changed massively over the last few decades, and dress codes really are the least of our worries.
And as a flight attendant, I’ve got to be honest with you. Along with the vast majority of other crew members, I really don’t care what you wear on a plane. Flight attendants aren’t the fashion police, nor should we be.
Our primary objective is to get you to your destination safely and comfortably, and if you choose to wear pajamas, a Juicy Couture tracksuit, or a three-piece suit, that’s none of our business.
As you board a plane, we’re not judging you for what you are wearing. We may well be observing passengers for tell-tale signs of intoxication or even checking whether someone is a nervous flyer, but what you wear really isn’t our concern.
Personally, I love that people are comfortable showing their authentic selves in what they wear and how they present themselves. This isn’t a church, and no one should be made to feel like they are worth less than someone else because they haven’t dressed up for what is, quite frankly, a transactional mode of transport.
There are plenty of First Class passengers who got this memo years ago. They want to relax on board and arrive at their destination refreshed and ready to hit the ground running. A slouchy t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms no longer raise an eyebrow in First Class. Prominent displays of wealth are not required.
In the past, of course, simply getting on a plane was a display of wealth. I’m thankful, though, that those days are mostly behind us. Air travel has been democratised, opening up the world to more and more people.
That’s not to say that anything goes. Whether you agree or not, many airlines impose some sort of loose dress code that passengers do, occasionly fall foul of.
These dress codes are a lot less stringent than what they used to be, even a few years ago, and by and large, they only cover things that I think we can all agree aren’t appropriate – think clothes with racist, sexist, homophobic, or otherwise offensive slogans.
This also includes explicit images, and, in some cases, airlines will prevent passengers from wearing very revealing clothing. I’m very cautious about assessing whether someone’s outfit is too revealing, as clearly they feel comfortable, and plenty of people have seen them in public before they reached the aircraft door.
After all, why is it not okay to wear an outfit on a plane, but it’s been acceptable right up to the moment they go to board? I’m more concerned someone will catch a chill once the air conditioning has been cranked up after takeoff.
So, no, take no heed of those Facebook posts harking back to the so-called ‘Golden Age of Aviation.’ You have enough to worry about as it is; your choice of clothes shouldn’t even cross your mind.
