I suppose it’s the ex-airline guy in me, but I’ve always hesitated to wear shorts on an airplane. Certainly, I’ve done it, but it’s not something I do often. Flying is still just a tiny bit special for me, and old habits die hard. While it’s unusual to see me in a full on suit and tie at the airport anymore, it’s been a year or 4 since you saw me on an aircraft in shorts and a t-shirt. Any other former non-revs out there remember trekking to the airport at 4AM on a Saturday in suit and tie? Yes, I thought so.
The truth is, you never know who you’re going to run into when you’re flying. It could be your boss or their boss, a VP of something, or the source of your next job. All this said, it wasn’t enough to stop me on a recent flight. I was working at home in the morning, and heading to the airport in the afternoon. Time caught up with me, and before you know it, I was tossing my business suit in my bag, and booking it to the airport in you guessed it….CROCS. Yeah, I know about the title. 😉
Now, you’ll never see my feet propped on a bulkhead, and you’ll certainly never see them bare on a plane. Truth told, I may have been one of the 10 best dressed on board. Not kidding. But still, I felt way underdressed for a business trip, even if I wasn’t in meetings until the next morning. Luckily, I didn’t run into anyone offering me a new job. This little experience got me to thinking…..have we become too casual about flying? About travel in general? What say you? Here’s a reader poll.
Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.-MJ, June 30, 2014
I thought it was about crocodiles on the planes.. when I read the headline.. Crocks on a plane… You mean CROCS the shoes 🙂 Well my family travels mostly to tropical destinations 2 to 3 times a year. You don’t expect us to be wearing wear suit and tie getting on at Maui do you? I don’t let my kids wear flip flops or crocs or anything open toed when traveling because it’s inherently dangerous but that’s just me. But I also prevent my kids from putting their their shoes off or put feet on the bulkhead too. So am… Read more »
You know Juno, the funniest thing about that is that I swear I fixed that last night after I posted it….but…. I guess I didn’t. 😉 Thanks for pointing it out! And yes, I think you’re doing just fine.
I think if you look the part the better off you are. If you have trouble while flying a individual behind the desk will be more responsive to a nicly dressed, or business casual. I have always tried to be business casual when flying, I only fly for personal trips, I have no opportunities for business trips.
Just about the only thing this red-blodded American Male approves of when flying is “Cute Girls in Yoga Pants”. That certainly makes flying meor visually appealing for me. So much so, I’m thinking of starting a blog with that name with pictures to illustrate the point.
I denounce myself.
@DC,
HA! 🙂
The point is that the cabin and your immediate vicinity are shared spaces, and also small spaces. Whilst your own uncovered dirty feet are one thing, in a plane you inflict them on others. Common courtesy dictates that you cover up with clean clothes.
Big pet peeve of mine and people get so offended when I bring up the fact that an Ed Hardy shirt, sponge bob pj’s and flop flops not only look bad on the plane and in the airport but also are impractical to where when traveling. And I won’t even talk about the women, although they typical dress a little better on average.
I love getting dressed up for a flight!! I always see people in sweats or hoodies and shake my head. One time, an F/A complimented me on my shoes and asked where I bought it. I said a Canadian retailer and we exchanged stories about shopping abroad. I’m probably one of the few that still like to keep up the glamour of flying.
If I could be 100% assured of first class all the time, I think I’d be a lot more likely to show up in a suit. 🙂