Dressing to Fly
I love looking at old airline ads. Back in the day flying was reserved for the elite. Film and radio stars, politicians, heads of companies. It was a glamourous age in air travel. Lobster Thermador served on china and chateaubriand carved tableside. Back then people dressed to the nines. Men wore suits, women wore gowns and furs, and children wore their sunday best. Even the stewardesses (How do you pluralize “stewardess” anyways? Stewardesses? Stewardi? Les Stewardess?) wore little white gloves and pillbox hats. And as those days have gone, the caviar turned to peanuts (if anything), the little white gloves are now latex gloves, most people are no longer dressing to fly
Pan Am’s introduction to Jet Service. Notice the lobster tail cart
As an airline employee, theres certain restrictions on what I can and cannot wear while flying on space available tickets or while jumpseating. If I’m jumpseating, the the general rule is full uniform, or business casual. Non-rev travel is business or smart casual. Depending on what airline im flying on, its nice jeans or slacks, button up shirt, and dress shoes. If they deem what I’m wearing not to fit their guidelines, I don’t get to go anywhere. A friend of mine was trying to get home from London, and her travel companion was wearing flip flops. They didn’t get to go anywhere. Sometimes I wish the same rules were applied for the general public. Sure there have been a few well publicized incidents, mostly on Southwest (Kayla and her short skirt and that man with his “Master Baiter Tackle Shop” shirt. ), but in general, as long as your wearing clothing, you’re okay. Some choices just aren’t okay to be worn in public, let alone on an airplane. Back before I started flying, I worked in Baggage Services at my airline. I was talking to my coworkers about a woman who was boarding a flight wearing those juicy style sweatpants with the writing across the rear. On these pants were written “I have the p***y, I have the power.” Im pretty sure she wasn’t talking about her feline companion. I’m not the best judge of inappropriateness, but I know that this isn’t appropriate.
One day I was walking past the Star Alliance side of the International terminal at SFO. It was at a time of day where all of the flights were long haul international 10+ hour flights. There was a guy walking to the security checkpoint wearing nylon basketball shorts and a tshirt that he has not just cut the sleeves off of, but cut the whole sides out of as well. Now I appreciate wanting to be comfortable on the aircraft, but at the same time I don’t think your gym clothes are the appropriate clothes to wear on the airplane. Also, I’d want to cover up a bit more because A) Airplanes are usually really cold, and B) I don’t need my bare side resting up against someone I don’t know on the airplane (just like Virgin Atlantic says: If you wanted to sleep with him, you would have married him)
What I do is wear my smart casual at the airport, through boarding, and even when im eating. When it gets to that time where its time to try to sleep, I change into something a little more comfortable (à la the braniff airstrip) Before landing, I change back into my less comfortable, but more stylish clothes. Best of both worlds. Im not taking a greyhound bus, why should I dress like it?
And please wear shoes, but thats another post all together
