Pajamas on Planes? Transportation Secretary Says It’s Ruining Air Travel
The Department of Transportation launched a new campaign to restore civility to air travel. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's big idea? Stop wearing pajamas on planes.
"When we don't dress respectfully, sometimes that can lead to people not treating each other respectfully," Duffy told Blaze TV in a video interview published November 25.
"When people travel, they want to dress for comfort. And I get that, I want to be comfortable, too. But, at some point, we can't dress like we're going to bed. You know, we have our PJs on, our slippers, and we're going to nestle in like we're going to bed. Actually, no, we're going out in public."
Apparently, sweatpants are what's destroying civility in air travel. Not shrinking seats, delayed flights, or passengers fighting over reclined armrests. The real problem is people wearing comfortable clothes.
The Healthy Snacks Demand
Duffy isn't just lecturing passengers about dress codes. He wants airlines to offer healthier snacks too.
"I think airlines should embrace a little MAHA as well," he said, referring to the White House's Make America Healthy Again initiative. "Could you get a healthy choice on the airplane?"
He told Blaze TV he'd love "better snacks" instead of a "fattening cookie full of just like butter, sugar and crap, or that little snack pack of pretzels."
Pretzels aren't inherently unhealthy. And some carriers already sell nuts or fresh fruit. But asking for healthier options isn’t such a bad idea. Comfy attire on the other hand? This might be missing the mark.
The Civility Problem
The campaign includes "dressing with respect" and "saying please and thank you." Basic manners that apparently require a Department of Transportation initiative.
People wear comfortable clothes on planes because flying is miserable. Cramped seats. No legroom. Long flights during odd hours. Hours stuck in a metal tube. Adding dress pants and button-downs won't make that experience better.
Most incivility on planes comes from cranky passengers or airlines treating passengers like cargo. Overbooked flights. Charging for everything. Shrinking seats to cram more people in. Chronic delays with no accountability. This is enough to send even the most even tempered person into a less ideal version of themselves.
But addressing those problems would mean confronting airlines about their business practices. Telling passengers to change their clothes and eat better snacks? Apparently, this is much easier because it holds the passenger accountable for the problem.
The real problems—tiny seats, terrible customer service, nickel-and-diming passengers—don't get addressed.
The Reality
People will keep wearing comfortable clothes on planes because flying is uncomfortable enough already. Airlines will keep offering the same snacks they've always offered because changing costs money.
And air travel will remain exactly as civil or uncivil as it's always been, regardless of whether passengers show up in pajamas or three-piece suits.
The Department of Transportation launched a civility campaign. The Transportation Secretary wants better dress codes and healthier snacks. Neither will fix what's actually broken about flying.
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