Bare feet. Bad breath. Boisterous conversations and body odor. When you fly, you run the risk of a memorable experience, to say the least. And it’s not just thanks to your close proximity to other passengers. We’re all getting ruder, too. The Transportation Department reports that “since 2019, the [Federal Aviation Administration] has seen a 400% increase of in-flight outbursts—ranging from disruptive behavior to outright violence.”
Now the Transportation Department wants us to return to “the golden age of travel.” Like Smokey Bear before him, Secretary Sean Duffy is assuring the populace that only you can bring this golden age back — with a return to etiquette and smart dressing.
“Are you helping a pregnant woman or the elderly with placing their bags in the overhead bin?” Duffy asks us. “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?”
Only in America do adults need a reminder that I give to my 3-year-old every day. But while Duffy’s appeals to the magic words may seem rudimentary, they’re far from superfluous given the current state of flying. And though the Transportation Department has bigger problems to worry about, such as overburdened air traffic controllers and outdated technology, a passenger-led civility movement is also far overdue.
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