DOT Seeks to Restore the “Golden Age” of Air Travel

The US Department of Transportation on Wednesday announced its plan to restore “The Golden Age” of air travel. This aims to bring civility back by urging travelers to dress “with respect” and be more courteous to airline staff members.

The Golden Age of Travel?

The agency said that the campaign called “The Golden Age of Travel Starts With You” aims to “jumpstart a nationwide conversation around how we can all restore courtesy and class to air travel.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy rolled out the new plan in response to a rise in incidents involving unruly passengers, including altercations with both fellow travelers and airline staff.

The issue isn’t new. The US Federal Aviation Administration recorded the highest number of unruly passenger cases in 2021 during the pandemic. The DOT cited that “Since 2019, the FAA has seen a 400% increase of in-flight outbursts—ranging from disruptive behavior to outright violence.” 

However, incident levels remain elevated, standing at double pre-pandemic figures.

Dressing With Respect

The DOT did not define what it meant by “dressing with respect.” In a social media post, Duffy simply wrote, “Dress up to go to the airport, help a stranger out, and be in a good mood.”

Duffy posed five questions that every passenger should ask themselves to ensure civility:

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

Travel Experts Are Skeptical

While the DOT’s intention is good, travel experts are skeptical whether the campaign will result in meaningful changes.

In response to Duffy’s social media post, some users suggested widening cramped economy seats, while others called for improving checkpoints to make the travel experience friendlier to passengers.

Chris Elliott, a travel expert and consumer advocate, told CBS News that “Economy class was actually nice. Now, everyone is wedged together on planes.”