WASHINGTON — In a bid to curb the rising tide of in-flight disruptions and restore what he called a “golden age of travel,” Sean Duffy, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, is urging airline passengers to rethink their attire and manners when boarding flights.
Speaking ahead of the busy Thanksgiving holiday travel rush, Duffy highlighted a sharp uptick in “unruly passenger” incidents — the Federal Aviation Administration reports outbursts have increased by about 400% since 2019. “If you just watch social media, you have brawls at the baggage claim, you have passengers berating gate agents,” Duffy said in an interview. “We have unruly passengers on airplanes. People dress up like they’re going to bed when they fly.”
He unveiled the agency’s new campaign, titled “The Golden Age of Travel Starts with You,” that calls on travelers to ask themselves several questions: Are you helping a pregnant woman or elderly person stow luggage? Are you dressing with respect? Are you saying “please” and “thank you” to flight crew?
Duffy’s emphasis on attire — “dressing with respect” — has drawn mixed reactions. Some air-travel veterans say the nudge toward cleaner, smarter dress is a harmless reminder of courtesy. Others argue it overlooks core issues like airline policies, overcrowding, seat-space shrinkage and alcohol-related incidents. “Dress is not meaningfully different than it was in 2019,” wrote travel-industry blogger Gary Leff.
Critics also warn the message risks sounding outdated or out of touch with travelers who value comfort over formality, especially in cramped or delayed flights.
Still, Duffy framed the initiative as part of a broader effort to improve the flying experience: better manners, fewer disruptions, and a collective return to civility in the skies. With the holiday season fast approaching, the Transportation Department hopes that one small behavior change — perhaps what you wear to the gate — might help shift the tone.
Sources & Links:
- The Washington Post
- Business Insider
- The Times of India
- Department of Transportation
- CBS News
- View from the Wing
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