Can you wear slippers and pyjamas on a plane? Travellers divided over new travel demand

Hats, suits and smart frocks - old photos of early commercial flights show passengers resplendent in their best outfits (granted smoking was also allowed then, so it wasn't all glamour).

These days, fliers are leaning more towards comfort, but are now literally being asked not to turn up in their pyjamas and slippers.

Yes, transport bosses in the USA recently asked passengers to "dress with respect".

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US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, as he launched what's dubbed "The golden age of travel starts with you" campaign: "Let's try not to wear slippers and pyjamas as we come to the airport."

Well, you can imagine how that all went down in a country which has been seeing airports meltdown in recent months because of staff shortages.

People basically told him to stuff his PJs and sort out his air traffic controllers.

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So, we thought we'd ask regular fliers: does it matter what people are wearing?

Jess, who always wears 'nice' track pants and a T-shirt to travel tells 9Travel she is "not really affected" by what anyone around her is dressed in.

But she is puzzled by those who fly in activewear - not because she finds it rude but because it doesn't seem comfy.

While all those asked agreed comfort is vital, none would go as far as to don their sleep wear (which was a relief).

"I'm a firm believer in baggy jeans, a tank top and a hoodie at the airport," Maddie says.

"Put together enough to get into an airport lounge but comfy enough to manage a long haul flight.

"Shoes depend on where I'm going - if it's somewhere cold, sneakers, if it's somewhere warm, Birkenstocks and socks I can take off when I get off the plane."

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And while cabin crew have warned against wearing shorts because they can be a hazard if you have to use the slide in an emergency, Siena sometimes does it.

"I always wear Lululemon gym shorts or linen trousers with a vest or cami that has a built-in bra," she says, adding she's firmly anti-PJs.

For long-haul, Kahla tells 9Travel she wears 'jogger' pants adding they're not as tight as gym-style leggings but equally comfy.

"Nice" trackies and trainers are also the best choice she reckons.

Meanwhile, I actually love to travel in one of those matching pants and a shirt sets which have become popular over the past few years.

It's basically a more respectable version of pyjamas.

However, I do believe sometimes travellers take comfort too far.

On a flight recently, many blokes were in a singlets so low cut it showed off their nipples (yes, it was to Bali). But I found it quite disgusting.

Add to that the flip flopping of thongs (also blokes and always with toes which had never met nail clipper) and I reckon some Aussies could actually do with a lesson in etiquette.

Then there was the time a man boarded in his battered Akubra... in business class.

Because while dressing classy won't get you an upgrade these days, paying a little bit of respect to your fellow passengers wouldn't go amiss.

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