Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stood before reporters at Newark Airport in New Jersey on Monday with an unexpected message for American travelers: Put some clothes on.
The cabinet official did not mince words as he announced a new “civility campaign” aimed at reversing what he described as a troubling trend in passenger behavior.
At the heart of his concern is a simple observation that many Americans have become too comfortable treating airports like their bedrooms.
Duffy pointed to what he called “a degradation in civility” among air travelers, a problem he believes extends beyond mere rudeness to include how passengers present themselves in public.
His solution is a back-to-basics approach that starts with wardrobe choices.
“You know, whether it’s a pair of jeans and a decent shirt, I would encourage people to maybe dress a little bit better, which encourages us to maybe behave a little better,” Duffy said during his remarks.
His guidance was specific and direct.
“Let’s try not to wear slippers and pajamas as we come to the airport. I think that’s positive,” the transportation secretary continued.
The timing of his announcement coincided with the approaching holiday travel season, when airports see their heaviest passenger volumes.
Beyond clothing, Duffy’s civility initiative encompasses broader behavioral expectations.
He urged travelers to extend basic courtesies to airline staff, encouraging passengers to “say please and thank you to our pilots and to our flight attendants.”
The secretary also called on passengers to assist fellow travelers struggling with overhead bin storage “as a common courtesy and civility.”
These recommendations may seem elementary, but they come against a backdrop of increasingly volatile conditions in the skies.
Federal Aviation Administration data reveals a disturbing escalation in passenger misconduct.
In-flight disturbances have surged by 400 percent since 2019, encompassing everything from disruptive behavior to outright violence.
Union and FAA statistics paint an even grimmer picture of the situation facing airline workers.
Nearly one in five flight attendants reported experiencing a physical incident in 2021, according to reports.
Even as pandemic-era tensions have eased, reports of unruly passengers in 2024 remained elevated compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Duffy believes his civility campaign can help reverse these troubling trends.
“Bringing civility back, I think, enhances the travel experience for everybody,” Duffy stated during an exclusive interview with Fox Business.
Diane Gottsman, an etiquette expert and founder of the Protocol School of Texas in San Antonio, framed the issue as one of public courtesy rather than fashion policing.
“From an etiquette perspective, one’s pajamas should be reserved for the privacy of one’s own home or hotel room, where people are relaxing — and not in a public space,” Gottsman explained to Fox News Digital.
She emphasized that comfort and appropriateness are not mutually exclusive concepts.
Gottsman noted it remains “possible to still select clothing that is both comfortable, practical and appropriate for public spaces.”
The expert suggested the pajama trend may have roots in celebrity culture, with stars photographed lounging through terminals in sleepwear.
