Originally Posted by
namecheap
I wear jeans and tshirts and feel bad for the people that have to wear clown suits (or think they have to) in order to try and impress people they will never see again.
As long as you are well put together and don't dress like trash, you will get respect if you demand it and carry yourself wear, suits are not a requirement.
I agree that suits are not a requirement. Looking presentable is what matters to me. For me, that means a collared shirt, nice pants, and comfortable leather shoes.
However, I disagree with the point about trying to impress people we will never see again. It's not about impressing them. It's about respecting them and their job.
Furthermore, we WILL see them again. Many of us on FT have a "home airport" from which we frequently travel and learn our favorite employees' names (and they often learn ours). I like to cultivate friendly relationships with those agents who I encounter a lot, especially in the lounges. They are wonderful people and have all sorts of amazing stories! Maybe I'm just particularly outgoing, but I like to be friendly, and I find that in return, I get outstanding service and a willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty to help me when I get in a jam.
I even have some FA friends since I fly a lot of the same international routes
throughout the year.
So, while I don't see the need to "impress" airport and airline employees, I do see the need at least to be respectful of them and their work environment by showing up looking presentable in their workplace.