Why you should dress up for your next airplane trip.

Share this:

“During the golden age of commercial air travel, in the 1960s and 1970s, flying was akin to being at a cocktail party on wings when everyone dressed for the occasion.” Christopher Muther, a Boston Globe staff travel writer.

What do leading travel experts say about dressing up for air travel?

Air Travel today compared to the Golden Age of Travel.

From a travel writer:

You may find inspiration to dress better for your next airplane trip in Christopher Muther’s article. WhatHappened toGlamourAirTravel. The juxtaposition was almost too perfect, although perfect is probably not the best adjective to describe it. On a flight to Chicago earlier this summer I was seated next to a college-age woman who hiked up her sweat pants to her calves. She kicked off her filthy flip-flops and pulled a bag of peanut M&M’s out of her backpack, diving in with the decorum of a rabid raccoon.

As she did this, I watched a Smithsonian Channel documentary on my laptop called i-was-a-jet-set-stewardess I saw vintage clips of beaming, bouffanted air hostesses (such a welcoming term!) pushing around well-stocked bar carts while dishing out seven-course meals on fine china. On this flight, my meal was one course, and it consisted of a can of Diet Pepsi. I was immediately nostalgic for an era I never experienced.

“It really was as glamorous as it looks,” said Thor Johnson, a former Pan Am vice president who worked for the airline during the golden age of commercial aviation, considered to be the 1950s and 1960s. “We served those beautiful meals, and people dressed up when they got on the plane. There were dress codes, but people would have dressed well even without rules,” he said in an interview.

From a writer, photographer, and filmmaker.

“Looking back to the 1960s, it really was a glamorous age for travel,” said British designer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker Keith Lovegrove, who wrote the book “Airline: Style at 30,000 Feet.” “My father worked for an airline, so we witnessed the posh days of air travel. That really inspired my book. I remember that it was party time on the airplane, and people really dressed as if they were going to a party.” Preview the book in his promotion film: Airline:styleat30,000feet

And air travel today. Dressing up gets you better treatment from airline personnel.

From a syndicated travel writer

Maybe you receive better treatment from airline personnel, according to George Hobica’s Huffington Post article, do-airlines-treat-you-better-if-you-dress-well?‘My guess is that United overbooked economy and they needed to upgrade someone. And that someone was me. In a recent blog post, I asked a gate agent for another airline if he would give preference to a well-dressed passenger in such a scenario and his answer was, “Yes, the better dressed you are, the more likely you are to nab that seat. I am not going to put someone wearing flip flops up front with our best customers. It also pays to be courteous, to smile and to be patient. I would rather give the better seat to someone who makes my life easier.” (He did point out, however, that if the flight isn’t oversold, the computer takes over and assigns upgrades based on frequent flyer status and other factors.)”

Tips on Dressing for your Next Flight

 

Tips from an expert airline traveler, check out theflightattendantlife

15 ways to look chic at the airport, check out whowhatwear

The best real people Airplane outfit ideas from Europe, check out travelfashiongirl

Share this:

Judy Kundert

Judy Kundert, a recipient of the Marquis Who’s Who Excellence in Authorship award, loves storytelling, from folk and fairy tales to classics for elementary school children. She authors award-winning middle-grade novels designed to inspire and intrigue children. After she left her career as a United Airlines stewardess, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University, Chicago and a Master of Arts from DePaul University, Chicago. Most recently, she completed a master’s Certificate in Public Relations and Marketing from the University of Denver. For fun, she likes reading (usually three or four books at a time), watching movies from the oldies to the current films, traveling, biking, and hiking in vast Colorado outdoors with her husband. Learn more at www.judykundert.com.You can find me at the foot of the Colorado Rocky Mountains hiking, biking

1 Comment

  1. Ramona Mills on November 8, 2019 at 1:18 am

    If some one wishes expert view concerning running a blog afterward i suggest him/her to visit this weblog, Keep up the pleasant
    job.

Leave a Comment