A Public Service Announcement by the department tells travelers, “Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away. Air travel is a miracle of American ingenuity. But manners don't stop at the gate.”
It used to be that if you were getting on a plane, you put on a tie and sports jacket or ironed your Sunday dress before you boarded the airplane. Now, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says air travel has become far too casual – not to mention stressful because of sporadic fights on the planes or in the terminals. He wants to bring back the golden age of travel.
The PSA continues: “Let's bring civility and manners back. Ask yourself, are you helping a pregnant woman put her bag in the overhead bin? Are you dressing with respect? Are you keeping control of your children?”
Etiquette consultant Rachel Wagner says it's not just air travel.
“Today's culture has become much more casual, overall, everywhere.”
She says rather than wear pajamas to the airport, you should dress for success.
“When you get on an airline, people want to be comfortable, especially if it's a long flight, but we can dress respectfully.”
She says personal interactions are important as well. It costs nothing to be polite to your fellow travelers and flight attendants.
“They look at us and greet us. We can greet them. We can smile and greet them with good morning, good afternoon, good evening,” she said.
Wagner has more tips at EtiquetteTrainer.com.
