US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is urging air travellers to dress better and be more civil - and it's touching a nerve at a time when many Americans consider air travel more frustrating than ever.
Ahead of what's expected to be the busiest Thanksgiving travel season in 15 years, Duffy launched a campaign last week titled The Golden Age of Travel Starts with You, in which he harkened back to the 1950s and 60s to call for a return to civility and class in air travel.
But as air traffic controllers remain short-staffed and customers face frequent flight delays, both social media users and aviation experts say Duffy is missing the point. A video ad for the Department of Transportation's campaign juxtaposes old footage of smiling airport staff and orderly passengers with modern social media videos of people starting fights on planes, putting their bare feet up on seats and engaging in other disruptive behaviour.
Manners don't stop at the gate. Things aren't what they used to be, Duffy chimes in. Let's bring civility and manners back. Ask yourself, are you helping a pregnant woman put her bag in the overhead bin? Are you dressing with respect?
The Federal Aviation Administration predicts this week will be the busiest Thanksgiving travel season in 15 years - with more than 52,000 flights on 25 November alone. And aviation experts say Duffy's message won't have much effect on the flying atmosphere.
Scott Keyes, a flight expert and founder of the flight deals site Going.com, told the BBC that while it sounds great to ask people to just be nicer, it's unlikely to change behaviour. The underlying problem is a societal issue with people letting their tempers get the best of them.
Some commentators have flooded the secretary's X posts with criticisms, pointing out that remediating poor travel conditions will have a larger impact on civility than simply asking for better manners. One user remarked, If you want us to be respectful humans at the airport stop treating us like cattle.
Nevertheless, others have praised Duffy's core message, expressing a willingness to contribute to a more civil environment. The campaign is positioned not just as a call for politeness but as a strategy to reduce in-flight violence; the Department reports a 400% increase in unruly behaviour since 2019.
Ultimately, while Duffy's intentions may resonate with some, experts suggest that significant reforms are necessary to genuinely enhance the flying experience for passengers.
