What a fascinating thread and the amount of interest shown through the number of postings is astounding!
Indulge me as a fellow frequent flyer that happens to be a paid employee.
In today's society people are often judged and accepted (or not) by others on a materialistic evaluation. The higher the price tag calculation derived from a head to toe survey of a stranger, the higher the respect and attention level shown. People wearing soiled or torn clothing are equated with the unfortunate or ignorant deziens that dwell at the bottom of the feeding chain, cannot possibly have an IQ over 60 or be presumed to have a lucrative career, if a job at all. People cloaked in elegant designer outfits, displaying meticulous grooming and spit and polish accessories, are assumed to be intelligent, successful, and blessed with living in big houses. It's stereotyping and all of us are guilty of it and react accordingly.
Comparing dress code and cleanliness (which seems to go hand in hand) with attendance at a high end restaurant is a fair and understandable comparison but I do not know of any 5 star restaurant that provides turbulence as a side effect of your dining experience, insist that you fasten your seatbelt at any given time while you are on the premises or expect you to cut into your meal while seated elbow to elbow with a complete stranger. IMHO, practicality in dress should be a priority consideration when travelling as a captive in a confined space at 39,000 ft. in a slim metal tube that is hurtling through the air at 500 miles an hour of more. A high-class restaurant would not dream of simulating this nor would any airline provide the amibient lighting or piped music to emulate this atmosphere. Any FFer can mentally enhance their flight by picturing themselves as dining in the equivelent of a 5 star restaurant but do not allow your fantasy to be crippled by the dress code of the person beside, across, in front or behind you when the other ingredients I mentioned are lacking as well.
Clothes worn; be they shorts, slacks or skirts; should be comfortable, washable, replacable, resistant to wrinkling, and not presumed to successfully deliver a traveller to a business commitment or event upon landing as pristine as when they were put on initially. Regardless of the garment worn, clean and neat should be a given in any public or enclosed environment. No strong odors, hygenie induced or from bottled scents should have to be tolerated. That's just common courtesy and I appreciate that not everyone allowed on an aircraft today realizes this.
Never trust the aim or stability of a flight attendant pouring liquids when the aircraft is fast or even slow dancing in the air. I have sponged so many articles of clothing because the poor victim I accidently splashed tomato juice, coffee, sticky pop or whatever on, has to be presentable to someone immediately after arrival. Never trust us. Then there are the seatmates you have that might do the job for us of adding uninvited flavour, colour, or texture to the outfit you so proudly planned and donned before heading out to the airport.
Never go barefoot on board. You have no idea what has been spilt, tracked or impregnated into our carpets. Which airlines, do you know of, lay light coloured carpet on their planes? This might give you an inkling of the abuse they take from hundreds of people trodding over them on a daily basis. Everything resides and some lifeforms even thrive in these carpets: vomit residue, blood or other body fluids, glass shards, rotting food particles, germs and other microscopic life to name a few. As much as you might enjoy wiggling your toes freely, is it worth the risk? You are not in Kansas anymore. Look after yourself.
In my first extreme example the torn, soil clothed traveller could present a better public appearance but who am I to judge? These are often the people that save up all year (or for years on end) to take that trip that is the cultimation of a goal. They have no pretense and are not out to impress anyone but are just awed at the opportunity to indulge themselves in air travel. Yes, they are mostly found in coach but some save the extra cash/points needed to grab first prize; a seat in business. My efforts to please them could be diluted because they are seen as unworthy or not regular contributors to the traffic that supplies my airline their bread and butter. I hope I do not come across this way. If the garb is threadbare, cheap but clean I will strive to make them feel as welcomed as I would the FFer and try dig myself out of the attitude that they are inconsequential.
The other extreme, which you are all more familiar with, I do not have to comment on. No point singing to the choir. To look good is to feel good; a worthy excuse to show up at the airport as a "sit up and pay attention; I am going places" kind of model that begs attention. This dress code has proven to be most beneficial to many of you and I can definitely agree with the positive impact it has on us as employees. A smartly dressed person does receive a warmer greeting from most of us. Unfair and embarrassing to admit but human nature nonetheless.
The middle dressers (clean but casual) are the customers I personally appreciate the most. In all fairness this pertains to longer haul flights and not the one day business trips taken on shuttles between major cities. No statement of prestige or status can be derived by their clothing which makes them more intriguing to me. They cannot be easily classified and when I initiate conversations with them I have been repeatedly delighted to hear what they have to say. These people, in my opinion, know how to travel in comfort and have the best understanding of what should/can occur on any given flight. They do the best job of keeping me on my toes because of their insight.
As an aside; the requirement for the removal of shoes in the event of an anticipated evacuation was dropped a number of years ago from most airline emergency procedures. Nylon and other synthetic materials have been proven to be detrimental materials when passengers are clothed in them during an evacuation down an emergency chute or slide/raft. Nylon and such are far from fire retardant and will actually perpetuate severe injury instead of protect against it. Fashionable but foolish in an emergency. Nylon will melt and blend with the layers of human skin with heat buildup caused by friction. Natural materials such as cotton do not do this.
I hope I haven't bored everyone to tears with this lengthy post. Really I'm a fence sitter on the issue because I try to excuse or accept every mode of dress. Although I realize the visual impact indicative to the classic style of dress people choose while flying, I also appreciate why others choose looser, sloppier or more comfortable wear. I personally strive for a reading of the person inside the clothes and try not to judge them by what they are actually wearing when our paths cross.
Let me know when I am slipping
