The US Transportation Department's Clothing Request For Travelers Is Firing Up The Internet

Quick! Time to pack for a short flight. What will you wear? If you're about to reach for pajama pants, Crocs, and a hoodie to minimize security hassles at the airport, think twice. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) politely asks that you give your travel wardrobe a makeover. In November 2025, the agency launched a campaign called "The Golden Age of Travel Starts with You," aimed at helping "restore courtesy and class to air travel." Among its recommendations is a request about what travelers wear — and it's firing up the internet.

The campaign urges travelers to commit to improving decorum and etiquette, arguing that traveling has grown too short-tempered and casual. The department's press release cites data showing that the Federal Aviation Administration has recorded a "400% increase of in-flight outbursts", covering everything from that nagging passenger who argues with the crew to outright violence. It also reports 13,800 "unruly passenger" incidents since 2021, defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization as travelers who "disturb the good order and discipline at an airport or on board the aircraft." Yet one request stuck out.

The public video announcing the campaign — since removed due to apparent copyright violations — featured Frank Sinatra's "Come Fly With Me" interspersed with footage of 1950s and early 1960s, of "Jet Age" travelers dressed as if they're attending the Oscars. DOT Secretary Sean P. Duffy contrasted it with modern-day footage: videos of onboard skirmishes, fights, and passengers swiping an infotainment system with their bare feet. He then proposed that flyers complete a self-assessment before their trip. The list of five questions includes anodyne requests, such as thanking your flight attendants. Yet asking "Are you dressing with respect?" ignited a debate over what you should never wear on a plane.

The Department of Transportation says it hopes its campaign will "jumpstart a nationwide conversation around how we can all restore courtesy and class to air travel." And boy, it did. The backlash to Secretary Duffy's Instagram posts was swift and direct. "When airlines give us the same service they did when people dressed up to travel, then I will dress up again to travel," one user wrote. Commenters were quick to point out the disparities between flying in 1958, when Pan Am flew the first American-made jet, and today.

Jet Age passengers shared little with today's travelers. At the time, the Civil Aeronautics Board controlled many of the industry's business decisions, treating them like a public utility that must stay solvent. With minimal profitability ensured, airlines gained a competitive advantage by offering quality. Air travel became a luxury experience, with meals served on porcelain plates accompanied by silverware. The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 ended that era. Consolidation ensued; four airlines now make up roughly 80% of the U.S. airline industry. Regulation shifted instead toward passengers, through government oversight such as security screening by the Transportation Security Administration, as well as airline policies enforced by a web of fees.

In that environment, commenters on Duffy's social media posts reason that airlines should be the first to show some courtesy. "Charged for a seat, a bag, a ticket, a carry one [sic], a beverage, a movie, and a snack. The exploitation of the passenger by airlines is the real problem," one penned. Despite the blowback, Duffy has continued to promote the campaign, at one point suggesting that pull-up bars at airports could help revive the so-called Golden Age of Travel. You can skip the workout, if you like, and simply follow the universal formula for staying stylish while traveling.