Leave your slippers and PJs in your luggage, DOT says: Dress for travel with respect

The US Department of Transportation rolled out a nationwide initiative last week aimed at restoring a sense of courtesy to America’s skies, just as holiday travel surges to record levels. Announced by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, “The Golden Age of Travel Starts with You” is a civility campaign urging travelers to show more respect and common sense during one of the busiest and generally most stressful travel seasons in years.

The effort arrives as federal officials grapple with a troubling rise in unruly passenger behavior that began during the Covid pandemic and has not fully subsided. Federal Aviation Administration records show a 400 percent increase in outbursts since 2019, with more than 13,800 incidents logged since 2021. While cases peaked in 2021 during national disputes over mask mandates, when nearly one in five flight attendants reported being physically assaulted, disruptions remain elevated. In 2024 alone, airlines reported more than 2,000 incidents, double the pre-pandemic rate, and global figures show roughly one disruptive passenger for every 395 flights.

DOT officials say the campaign is meant to nudge travelers toward proactive self-awareness, highlighting that small gestures can improve safety and comfort not just for fellow passengers, but for flight attendants, pilots, and ground crews. The initiative includes a promotional video and a coordinated social media push encouraging flyers to reflect on their conduct before stepping into an airport. Duffy framed the campaign as an attempt to restore a sense of “courtesy and class” to travel while embracing modern expectations of respect.

Among the messages being promoted: dress more thoughtfully for travel to set a positive tone, lend a hand to other passengers, and stay patient during delays or crowded boarding. The department is circulating five questions travelers are encouraged to ask themselves before flying—whether they’re dressed appropriately, whether they’ve helped a stranger, whether they’re in a good mood to travel, whether they use basic polite language, and whether they are treating others as they would want to be treated.

Duffy posed these questions for travelers to ask themselves this holiday season:

1. Are you helping a pregnant woman or the elderly with placing their bags in the overhead bin?
2. Are you dressing with respect?
3. Are you keeping control of your children and helping them through the airport?
4. Are you saying thank you to your flight attendants?
5. Are you saying please and thank you in general?

The push comes as regulators have leaned on harsher enforcement to rein in problematic behavior. Fines can run as high as $37,000 per violation, and the FAA has repeatedly urged Congress to support stricter penalties. Still, officials say enforcement alone is not enough, and that cultural expectations among passengers must shift to prevent confrontations before they start.

Reaction to the campaign has been mixed. Some media outlets applauded it as a gentle but timely reminder for Thanksgiving travelers, and Duffy highlighted unity and safety in a cable news interview that accompanied the announcement.

Others pick at the nostalgia built into the “golden age” branding, pointing out that the early decades of commercial aviation were hardly glamorous for ordinary travelers and far less accessible.

And one more tip from The Alaska Story: Remember to thank the crew and wish them a Happy Thanksgiving.