The US Department of Transportation has announced a new campaign designed to encourage civility in air travel.
The initiative, with the tagline ‘The Golden Age of Travel Starts with You’ has listed a number of directives for passengers to improve travel ahead of the holiday season, including that people should “dress with respect.”
What does ‘dressing with respect’ mean?
The department has not issued any formal rules or dress codes. Instead, its messaging leans heavily on personal responsibility. In a social media post announcing the campaign, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urged travellers to “dress up to go to the airport, help a stranger out, and be in a good mood.”
He also urged travellers to go through a check list before they take their next flight, introspecting whether they’re helping out pregnant or older passengers, or if they’re supervising their children.
Duffy also requested commuters to be courteous and showcase good manners with flight attendants.
Why was this announcement made?
According to Newsweek, the announcement came in response to what was perceived as repeated poor behaviour on flights.
In 2025 alone, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported over 1,000 reports of unruly passenger behaviour, resulting in $2.1 million worth of fines against unruly passengers.
Is clothing the problem? Experts weigh in
“A few decades ago, when most people put on their best clothes to fly, the experience itself was also very different. Economy class was actually nice. Now, everyone is wedged together on planes,” travel expert and consumer advocate Chris Elliott told CBS News.
Other industry voices also think the campaign leans more towards symbolic over practicality.
Sarah Silbert, a strategist at the flight search engine Points Path, said there is no mechanism in place to enforce any kind of dress guideline, which makes it unlikely to have a significant impact on how people behave.
“It is more of a soft nudge about travel etiquette,” she told CBS News.
Flyers not abiding by directives won’t face trouble
While the department is hopeful that these small reminders will nudge people toward exercising more thoughtful behaviour at the airport and on board, there are no penalties attached and no promise of enforcement.
