It’s been many decades since I traveled for work; my travel is leisure-only now. I wear comfortable everyday clothes, and I always wear my walking shoes (even if they look ridiculous with my outfit - I keep other shoes in my carry on to change into at my destination, if needed).
Airline travel is extremely uncomfortable, from getting there to getting to the gate to waiting at the gate to being herded into the plane to trying to find a place to stow the carry on to contending with the cramped seats to having to move for row mates’ bathroom visits to hoping that I won’t need to use the bathroom to waiting to deplane as the selfish folks push past to the agony of doing it all again for the connection to getting to and waiting for baggage claim … Sorry, Sean, but until I get to travel the way you do, I’m not dressing up for that.
The so-called golden age of flying that some people seem nostalgic for was not all that great. There was smoking allowed in the airplane, which meant that anyone smoking forced everyone nearby to smoke.
Also flying decades ago was a travel option of those with money. Unreachable for many. Still not cheap, but I think an option for more of the population than years ago. And relating that to “well dressed”, if you had the $ to fly, you were more likely to have the means and closet to dress up.
I call airplane travel now “bus in the sky”…except that buses tend to be a little more roomy and less costly.
I’m flying coach on a very long trip. I will be clean, comfortable, and will look decent enough. I won’t be getting all dressed up. Nor should I be expected to be.
As noted, there are far more important things to work on than a passenger dress code that sounds vintage.
I dress for comfort. Maybe I am a bit of a prude, but I am shocked by how many scantily clad women I see in the airports recently.
One time I saw a young woman take off her hijab and comb out her hair over the course of a flight. She exited without it. My mind played out all kinds of stories after seeing that.
I remember taking a train from Cambridge to London on a Friday evening, and similarly over the approx 45-minute journey, two young women removed their hijabs, and not only brushed out their hair but (expertly) applied full faces of make-up. Definitely looked ready to hit the clubs by the time we reached London! The only story I thought was the obvious one, of girls wanting to have some fun that they clearly weren’t allowed to at home (and that this didn’t seem to be the first time they’d done this).
My mom was a flight attendant, or back then, stewardess, for United in the early 1960s. I read through some amazing typed letters of commendation when going through her things (she passed away last month). Hilarious, really - she had them rolling in the aisles while doing the safety announcemnet. Now of course she’s with me whenever I fly the friendly skies lol, which is a lot lately. Anyway, when I was in high school, she would. not. leave the house even to just drive me somewhere without first putting on lipstick. This was funny, because she’s not someone you would think of as wearing a lot of makeup, but it was some sort of holdover from her stewardess days.
Airplane dress: a couple of years ago, I was amazed to learn that “airplane pants” were a thing. Now I already need new ones. We could probably have a whole thread just on which are the best women’s airplane pants for different shapes. My friend tells me the difference is “soft pants” vs “hard pants” lol. Hard pants would be jeans, though I admit I wore jeans on a return flight on Tues due to the fact that modern jean fabrics can be quite stretchy.
There are still airlines today that explicitly limit the number of male flight attendants, and airlines that only recently removed such rules. That is probably why stories like the following seem to be news.
It’s not only lap children. That is probably my biggest airplane bugbear, though parents are usually - not always - cooperative, along with people in the row behind who grab my hair along with the back of my seat. But I digress.
My mom didn’t wear much makeup normally but she felt strongly about putting on lipstick too. I think it was that generation. (She was an housewife and school teacher, not a flight attendant.). Even when she was in the hospital, she wanted her lipstick. We just wanted her to have what she wanted.
Oh yeah, we dress for comfort and bring layers. We fly about 30,000+ miles/year and could care less what others think of our attire. That said, we do dress in “business casual,” I guess because that’s what we normally wear out and about. S is often upgraded to business or 1st class and often ends up with PJs and loungewear compliments of the airline. S flies a ton more than we do.
I flew by myself from the Midwest to San Diego in 1969 or 1970. I remember china plates and actual glass drinking glasses. I had a new outfit for the trip. It was a Very Big Deal to fly - my aunt paid for my ticket so that I could visit her for a couple weeks. I didn’t fly again until 1983, and it was a much more casual experience. Now, it’s a flying Greyhound bus thanks to changes made by the airlines, and people dress & act accordingly.
This is not an issue for the government to handle. They should talk to the airlines who do their best to money grub and herd people in like animals. I’m not one bit surprised that people wear inappropriate clothes. The only incentive for the airlines is to get as much money as possible.
Tf they want to bring civility back to flying, start with letting people at least bring a carry on bag withiut trying to charge, and at least allow people to sit with their family or travel partner and not nickle and dime us. This is an airline problem, not the flyers’ problem.
The problem is that customers have consistently shown that low cost matters more than anything else. Most flyers will choose a fare that’s, say, $70 cheaper over one that offers more comfort or added perks. So while I don’t have much sympathy for airlines, and I do miss the days when flying was a more comfortable, even pleasant, experience - they’re businesses and are going to do whatever it takes to increase revenue and profit margins, based on demonstrated customer feedback.
Back in the day, you booked a flight and it included a seat assignment, and checked baggage, and at least a snack type of meal. There was a set price for that (with higher costs for first class).
Now, most airlines nickel and dime you to death.
We are taking a very long international flight in December that cost quite a bit…on an international and well known airline. We had to pay $200 extra for seat assignments…or we could have booked them at no cost when we checked in at the airport…that option was a hard no.
At this point, the airlines have consumers over a barrel. I honestly don’t care about extra perks for a one hour or less plane ride (and yes, I do those). But if I’m flying across country, or internationally, I expect some level of decent customer service.
Asking me to dress up for a plane flight is none of the government’s business. At.ALL. I dress comfortably and nicely…but is this really the hill the government wants to die on? I would guess that most consumers can think of at least five things that they would rather see the airlines do.
With no regulation, prices came down - and we’re actually cheaper today - even with the fees.
I just booked my daughter tix - but I used Frontier - low pricing and $59 for a checked bag, seat assignment and early boarding (which doesn’t matter) - like $300 round trip Denver to Nashville.
So there is nickel and diming to show a “cheaper” price but it’s still a lot better than back in the day.
Flying was more a novel or specialty back in the day but today, it’s as you described it before, a bus system in many ways - yet more efficient. You don’t see near as many ride long route buses today - so a plane is a substitute in fact.
We just wanted her to have what she wanted.