‘Please don’t:’ What you wear on a flight could be an etiquette problem
Updated . First published
It’s a question that has divided some travellers for years – what is the appropriate way to dress on a flight?
While comfy leisurewear is the go-to these days, etiquette expert Zarife Hardy has revealed there’s a line.
You may be breaking the unwritten rule of travelling on a long-haul flight. iStock
“Please don’t get on an aircraft looking like you’re about to step onto the beach or like you’ve just jumped out of bed and thrown on a tracksuit,” she told nine.com.au.
“It doesn’t mean you’ve got to be dressed up in corporate attire, but it is a respectful environment.”
While some people opt for a tracksuit, others will wear pyjamas to the airport for long-haul flights and onto the plane – a move Zarife said is not appropriate.
“I think you should wear a tracksuit or some leisurewear that you’re comfortable in, but it isn’t your lounge room,” she said.
“Get changed into your pyjamas if you want when the flight is up in the air for a while if you want to snooze off, but just be mindful of the environment you’re in.”
Staff at nine.com.au agreed that wearing comfy clothes like tracksuits are okay but rocking up to the airport in Pyjamas was a bad move.
“You can wear a PJ-coded outfit. So not officially PJs but stuff you would sleep in,” one colleague said.
Dressing comfy is okay if you follow the basic rules. iStock
“I’ll usually wear some baggy pants and a hoodie – not quite pyjamas but definitely comfortable. But I seriously don’t understand why people would have an issue with someone else wearing pyjamas? Like it doesn’t affect you at all, let people wear whatever they want to wear,” another added.
Zarife added that a huge no-no when travelling is walking around barefoot or wearing shoes with open toes and no socks.
For a long-haul flight, taking off your shoes and keeping your socks on was absolutely fine, but not so much for a short flight, she said.
“I wouldn’t for short haul, but for a long-haul flight, yes. If you want to walk around you can (without shoes) as long as you’ve got socks on, not bare foot.”
General hygiene is also an absolute must when travelling, Zarife stressed.
“When you sit beside someone, and you’ve got maybe body odour… we are very cramped in on aircrafts.”
“Just general hygiene and tidiness is very important.”
