Slobs, Snobs And Noise
 

Am I just too old? I am a United 1 K and have been for a number of years. I am a 65 year old businessman that still works and loves it. I flew my first commercial flight on Capital Airlines in the 50's. I flew in a lot of DC3, Electras, Vicounts, Caravelles and others. But what I observe today traveling is somewhat puzzeling to me. 1) 90% of the travelers dress like slobs, wear baseball caps on board, in lounges and in restaurants. 2) No one seems to regard peace and quiet as a human need and benefit. Stewardess bumb your seat, passengers boarding bump you and your seat with packbacks and rollerbags. Passengers during flights bump your seat without regard to the fact you might be sleeping. 3) Stewardess break ice and galley with a hammer and slam doors and coffee pots around like they are working in distant kitchen. 4) Worst of all are the cell phone users screaming in their cellphones in the lounges where a little peace and quiet would certainly be appreciated. Have we become uncivilized, is it the jungle? sould be swing from vines and screech like apes? I guess I am too old......

You've got my vote on points 2-4 (especially 2!). Point 1 doesn't bother me, and there are times when I dress pretty casually myself.

I agree and I'm not old.

I don't think you are! I really think alot of people out there need a reality check and not just for the airport but life in general. Many need to revisit the golden rules they were hopefully taught as children.

On the dressing issue-we were always expected as children to dress nice when flying-always pants per Mom for some reason...I know weird but to this day I do it, although it maybe jeans or a workout outfit-I have a nice appearance. One of my favorite things to do at the airport is to people watch-it always amazes me to see people (teens I can see but 30,40 year olds??) in PJ bottoms or skirts where you can see their butt..and not to mention w/out any underwear. Even seen one lady with no underwear-butt showing skirt sit straight down on the floor while waiting for a plane..gross gross gross!!

The one thing I really don't understand is why some people think it's perfectly OK not to take a bath...I mean when you can smell yourself and you burn your own nose hairs...it's NOT OK to get on a closed up plane..expecting the person next to you to be happy and cheerful to talk to you. I don't want to breathe much less breathe in your BO and taste it!


I am really not looking forward to the thought of cell phones allowed on the airplane to use during flight..... :(

BTW I am 29 and holding and have the same opinion.

Remember that air travel used to be much more expensive and more civilized. My Dad traveled in the 1950s. Coach class had roomy leather seats and the flight attendant would bring your courses one at a time, after taking your order. (Yeah, like F/C now.) You didn't have to ride airline shuttles from the parking lot and then half-disrobe while going through "security". Of course people dressed nicely and behaved better under those circumstances.

Fast-forward to the 21st century. The people have voted with their dollars- cheap is best. You know you're going to be dragging your stuff all over creation (may as well carry it on if you don't want the airline to "misplace" it or have valuables disappear), get jammed into a Coach seat and probably have food fall into your lap as you maneuver it out of the bag (purchased elsewhere- you're on your own for meals) and try to eat it in a cramped space. The air will be either too hot or too cool, especialy before they finally turn the engines on full throttle. Sorry, but I'll leave my silk blouses at home and dress comfortably. And, while I do get angry at the Incredible Disappearing FAs who act put-upon if you approach them and expect them to do anything for you, there are fewer FAs serving more people.

It's not necessarily that we've all turned to slobs- the environment has changed considerably and we've reacted accordingly.

Got to agree with 2 and 4 as well.

I was flying Cathay in F the other day. I was in my seat and another guy was sat one row further back. A colleague of his gets on and congratulates him loudly on his upgrade and then proceeds to tell him loudly and in graphic detail about the after-effects of his less than edible shrimp cocktail the night before!! It went on, and on, and on, and on! Finally I stood up, turned around and said "Guys, do me a favour, tone it down won't you. I have absolutely NO interest in participating in your conversation". I got a real nasty look, but hey it shut them up and the late joiner made his way back to the C cabin. Some people just need their heads examining.....

Point 1: Well, style has changed and not everyone has to wear a nice shirt/tie just to go out. Better to be comfortable, like the majority of travellers. But there are always, of course, a few people who do dress quite oddly, and that will always be the case.
Point 2: It gets very annoying. However, I bet most passengers on flights do NOT surf FT and don't fly more than twice a year, so they probably do not know or realize how bad it is to bump into other people, and accidents do happen. I haven't had a FA bump into my seat in a while, but then again, I love window seats, especially on short/medium haul flights.

As long as someone looks decent, who cares what they are wearing? Dress up for church or something like that, yes, but to sit on a plane, why? Is it really that big of deal, and does it really affect anyone at all if someone wears a ball cap on a plane? A long time ago wives wore dresses and pearls to do the vacuuming. That was then. 90% of travelers dress like they want to be comfortable during their trip.
Depending on where you are sitting, it may be nearly impossible for someone NOT to bump into your seat. In business or first I would think it difficult TO bump a seat, but in economy there is no way to avoid bothering someone. Especially since a plane is a moving object and old/young/obese people are common. I do agree that people need to shut up or at least keep their voices down. I especially hate the ubiquitous screaming jack@$$ on a cell phone. Contrary to what many believe, it is not required to raise your voice for the phone to work. Loud FAs are annoying as well, but breaking ice can be a labor intensive process. I doubt it was a calculated maneuver to be as loud as possible during the flight. And what are people doing with backpacks and rollerbags out during a flight anyway?

Those of you who think flying is bad need not get near the Greyhound bus terminal in Washington (or any big city).

Take a look around at church! It is almost as bad as air travelers, sometimes worse. I fly business or first and have had my seat bumped many times. Suits and ties are not necessary, I fully agree, but nice clean clothes should be considered appropriate, clean jeans included. What I saw this past two weeks was clothing that should not be worn anywhere but to Home Depot to pick up more paint or nails. It seems to me I recall a time when common courtesy would dictate better behavior. It does not seem to be as universal as it was in years past. When Cell Phones are allowed to be used in airplanes I complete my retirement and quit flying.

Why, praytell, does common courtesy dictate someone's attire? One who doesn't interact with you at all (and you are not paying them anything to do so) has no obligation to wear anything more than they want.

I agree with the OP and not just with flying it's in everyday life. Yes I know times have changed but just because some are dressing more then badly or acting badly/rudely does that mean we all should have this standard? There is nothing wrong w/ comfy that is not what the OP is saying!

And I am sorry it's more then common courtesy to not show your butt in public. Not to mention the health issues of you putting your juices on the floor or on a seat someone else will be sitting on later..and that someone might be YOU.

I so understand!!!

Welcome to FlyerTalk Sæculorum,
You generally do interact with many persons whilst aboard an airliner.

Because the concept of common courtesy appears to escape most, along with the usage of the words whom and wrongly; I propose airlines introduce a dress standard such as follows

I agree Wholeheartedly
 

UnitedBill:

I haven't been flying since the '50's, but the 60's when people still used to get dressed up to fly. Now, I am not saying gents need jacket & tie and ladies need to wear dresses, but the butt hanging out thing and the ripped jeans is not appropriate.

Also, Common Courtesy is timesless and should apply all folks who travel. "Treat those as you would have them treat you".
It's diffucult enough when you are in Atlanta Monday, Detroit Tuesday, SF Weds & Thurs and then back home to EWR on a redeye, some jer--ff giving the FA a hard time on the flight when you're trying to sleep because she didn't bring him his drink quick enough should be hung from the yardarm, just like the old Navy days. ;)

You might consider moving to New York. Despite our politics (agreeable to some, disagreeable to others), we dress well. Including on weekends. Just returned from la Grenouille on a weekend night, where every male diner was in suit and tie. Every single one.

On the related topic of gentility, most New Yorkers go through the motions of politeness, although I would be hard-pressed to call New Yorkers "genteel."

But on any given Saturday or Sunday, I would guess that as a percentage of population, more New Yorkers are in suit and tie than any other city in the western hemisphere.

I agree that some people do need to dress better. Giant clothes falling off skinny (fat) people is ridiculous. I just hate it when people make judgements based on peoples clothes. I'm 25, and when I wore jeans on my recent flights in biz on LH old people in suits gave me dirty looks. Next couple flights black slacks and button up and dress shoes and everything is fine. That is the stuff that pisses me off.

Another thought came to mid on this thread- Amtrak.

I've taken Amtrak in the NE Corridor. It is FAR more civilized than flying. The kids are betterbehaved- undoubtedly because they have a little wiggle room, can use the bathroom when necessary, and can get snacks in the dining car. The adults, other than the occasional cell-phone nut, are quiet. Nobody needs to bump into anyone on the way out of their seat because there's legroom. The stewards are pleasant.

Remember the psych experiments where a bunch of rats was put into a space that was too small and they got mean and attacked each other? Apply that to Coach Class in a regular airline.

I have to start with a :) . I do like when people dress well..but in this case just asking some to dress! I just feel some of our standards have fallen to the side. I will admit I dress comfy for a flight but comfy doesn't mean to pull the dirtest balled up thing out from underneath the bed and put it on.

I also feel that peoples manners have fallen to the side. I don't know how many times I have seen gents or an able body women pass someone that clearily needs help w/ a bag or something. Look at it this way if it was your Mother or Father or YOU needing help you would want someone to give that extra hand.

I have PLENTY of everyday manners that need to be improved if all would like me to take up about a page and get them off of my chest...many I am sure will agree with me...and if you don't maybe you can explain why it's not rude. :p

Again I say it all goes back to the "golden rules" of life and some good ole common sense. <-and if you don't have any of this about dressing..just remember the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High...No Shirt No Shoes No Service! :)

Oh and I can say over the summer I flew into LGA and spent some time over in Long Island..one I was amazed by the beauty of Cold Springs Harbor..its not all concrete in NY. But just as yall talk about us Southerners we talk about you! :) and having heard all of the oh they are so RUDE comments-I was trying not to have some pre judgements going into the trip but I was ready for anything.

I can say happily I got to tell all that made those comments they were just narrowed minded...and they should really see for themselves...and rude people are everywhere nowdays.

Everyone that I ran into was very nice and polite except for 2 that I could have gone redneck stupid on. The first being the cab getter guy (dont know what he is called but he seems to hussle cab jobs for the actual cabbies outside the airport) but how many times do I have to say no thank you before you get the point? And the second being a very snobby winch at one of the hotels we stayed at....but all in all I came back with a great impression and hoping our travel lets us get into the city next time...maybe we will get to the try the La Grenouille.

Oh and it was nice bc everyone seemed to want to talk to us...thought it was funny when they pointed out our accents! :)

That's people w/ an elitist attitude or some other issue.

Sadly, times have changed. I do notice more and more young people just don't have any considerations for others.

It really boils down to poor parenting and upbringing.

When I was young, if you bump into someone, your parents would tell you to tell whoever you bumped, "Excuse me."

Nowadays, when a youngster bumps into you, its parents don't even bat an eyelid to even suggest to little "Timmy" say, "Excuse me."

I've witnessed way too many misbehaving children during my travels, and way too many parents don't do a darn thing but just sit there when their kids cause mayhem and bother others.


As for what people wear, jeans and shorts are fine with me. Because just because you're on business, doesn't mean other people are. And, with only so many pieces of checked pieces allowed for check in, why on earth would anyone want to bring a suit when you don't need to?

Every generation despairs of the generation that follows. People always think the young 'uns will be the doom of civilized society.

Aside from the occasional encounters with people who are in a Big Fat Hurry, my experience of air travel is approximately as genteel as driving in American cities or walking the streets of Denver. People are people. Some will hold the door open for me; others will cut me off in their haste. I find it hard to get wound up over the behavior of others. (Except when cheaters duck under the security barriers at DIA that are festooned with fifteen signs telling travelers to go around to the proper line entrance. For some reason, that really punches my buttons. :mad: )

As for flying attire: I go for smart-casual with an emphasis on comfort, accessorized with a piece of interesting jewelry and a pleasant smile.

I find that Europeans are more polite. Less yelling on the cell phone.

Whilst I do agree about the points on civility, I couldn't give a tinkers cuss about the dress of my fellow passengers.

When travelling for work, I am usually a business casual or suit type of bloke, when travelling on my own money for leisure, I'll dress how I want to, thank you. That usually means jeans, or shorts in very hot climates.

I've seen the occasional snide look from besuited business travellers in J when I get on board, but I console myself with the thought that the airline doesn't care.

The only time I have ever felt a little guilty was when I was flying to Berlin once for the weekend and wanted to go hand-luggage only in Club Europe, so I wore my leather jeans, leather jacket and 9-hole boots to fly. I did think a couple of passengers jaws were going to drop off, but both FA's were lovely. :D

Or maybe they're just jealous!!! :p

Reminds me of this guy in a suit at the Sydney AU (SYD) Qantas Club (QP) who was yelling madly into his phone about how this was a million dollar deal, how it was worth millions to his company in profits, and how it had to be clinched. Whilst all of this was going on, the phone rang in his ear.

He moved away very VERY quickly, whilst we all had smirks on our faces. :D

Dave

Or apply that to the increasingly crowded and hectic world we live in today.

You’re not too old, UNITEDBILL. But times have indeed changed from back when you were twenty-five years old. Without a doubt standards for public behavior and dress have relaxed considerably over the past forty years. In some ways, I like the more relaxed standards, in others I don’t. Growing up in the 1960s, most people always dressed nicely if they were traveling somewhere. It didn’t seem strange then or a big bother because that’s just the way things were done. Period.

One might examine the larger picture of why people ever felt it was important to dress “appropriately” when out in public, be that on a plane, going to a restaurant, museum, whatever…

I'm just speculating here but I remember hearing the term “Polite Society” years ago. “Polite Society” seemed to be predominantly populated by the wealthy, well bred and well educated, and though it was by no means limited to those folks, a couple of hundred years ago they seemed to make up the bulk of its adherents. On the whole, it seems that social mores affecting all of us generally evolved from the standards set by “Polite Society” of old.

It always seemed to me that the idea of dressing nicely while out in public was something that originated in “Polite Society” because it was deemed "civilized" to be on your best behavior and appearance when strolling out into the world. Dressing shabbily was the province of riff raff and ragamuffins and certainly no self respecting member of “Polite Society” would ever deign to be seen out and about in anything less then respectable threads. Back then, as with today, people judged you by the choices you make and choosing to dress shabbily in public said heaps about your approach to life in general. Amongst more than a few today, it still does.

In “Polite Society” at least, I imagine there were repercussions to poor dress and behavior as well. For example, you might no longer be invited to formal dinners or debutante balls. The loss of “Networking” possibilities amongst the “Good Old Boy” network commonly in attendance at such functions could impact your upward mobility considerably. You'd have to hang out at the Public Bar ("Pub") with the roughnecks and drink beer instead of fine champagne and liqueurs. (Gasp! For shame!)

Of course back then, in some quarters such as nicer restaurants, hotels or businesses, if you weren’t dressed appropriately they wouldn’t even let you in the door. It was a dress code designed to keep out the "riff raff" with their generally lower standards of dress and behavior.

Moving on to the world of inter-city public transportation, there once was a time that only the very well to do could afford to travel longer distances. This was especially true when it came to airplanes. And of course back then, travelling great distances was still looked at as an event, not just another plane flight as with today. Perhaps because traveling was seen as something special, people dressed accordingly. At least back then. You'd hardly call domestic flight in America "special" anymore.

To address some of the exceedingly relaxed dress standards now seen in public forums such as airplanes, or boorish behavior such as inflicting cell phone conversations on everyone within earshot would involve discussing the hows and whys of our society’s diminishing lack of respect for one another. That might be best discussed in another forum.

Personally, I’m glad some things changed from forty years ago. For example, I don’t think it’s necessary to wear a suit when you fly. If anything, it’s impractical to wear expensive, formal clothing while sitting for long hours in a cramped seat. However, one can dress comfortably without resorting to dirty or torn or insufficient clothing. In general though, I’m not too bothered over what I see being worn on airplanes. I’m a jeans and button down shirt man myself, usually with a nice tweed sports jacket, so who knows – I may offend some people. Want long hair and a beard? Go for it. People holding hands and kissing in public doesn’t bother me, either. Tattoos and piercings? Hey, it’s your body…

On the other hand, people full out lip locking in a nice restaurant or on an airplane is not in good form. Taking off your shoes, and/or socks, and putting your potentially smelly feet up on the bulkhead is thoughtless towards your fellow passengers. Loudly inflicting your cell phone conversations on your surrounding brethren is boorish and rude. Going into a very nice restaurant dressed in old jeans and a t-shirt when the established (and desired) tradition of the restaurant and the diners clearly requests formal attire is disrespectful to both the restaurant and its diners. The list goes on. I see alot of this type of behavior these days and unfortunately, it seems to be considered increasingly acceptable.

What about that noisy ice breaking coming from back in the galley? Back in the Sixties, if ice needed to be broken, it was first placed in a couple of towels and then broken. This minimized noise. Believe me, I’ve seen it done onboard many times. At the time, this was deemed the proper, less intrusive way to do it and flight attendants were trained accordingly. Why? It was respectful to the passengers not to intrude upon them with all that sharp noise. Some might even say it was more civilized. For sure it was more polite. Today, all that noise is just considered par for the course. Standards have indeed been lowered.

Still, it’s not an airline problem, it’s a societal problem. I really do feel that in today’s society, some of the standards that were deemed important to a civilized existence forty years ago have indeed eroded. We are not as polite as we once were. That politeness is borne of respect for our fellow human beings and there’s a lot less of that than there once was.

George Bush Sr. (who I didn’t vote for) spoke of a kinder, gentler nation but today we applaud gangsta rappers for their “artistic” lyrics and admire some athletes and movie stars despite their increasingly rude behavior on and off the court or stage. What was once considered poor sportsmanship and lack of respect for the opponent is now considered an appropriate show of exultation for having essentially done what the job paid you to do. Increasingly, it’s more about the individual than the team.

Society is a team, too. We can either behave respectfully amongst eachother or descend into an increasingly nasty state of affairs. Although I think we’re still a long way from that, we’re definitely exploring the road that leads in that direction.

************************************************** ********
Sorry for the length of this response. I don't know what came over me. Could be this delicious James Squire Pilsner that I've been quaffing all afternoon?! :)

Interesting thread.

It was point 2 that caught my attention. I am absolutely tired of being hit in the shoulder and the head by people walking by my seat with their carry-on luggage. I been bruised, battered and even bloodied with very few people apologizing. One time I grabbed the bag that had just bounced off my head and yanked it. As I am bald, there is no padding to soften the blow. The flight attendant who was nearby, and saw the entire incident, then chastized the passenger while getting me ice for the bruise on my head. If you have a backpack on one shoulder, and it hangs to the side, what do you think will happen when you get into the confines of the aisles in the aircraft cabin?

I dress up when traveling intl C/F & domestic F. I dress for comfort.
 

I am presentable when traveling in coach. (clean conservative slacks/shirt or conservative shorts/shirt in warm weather). When I travel in intl biz/F & domestic F, I usually dress up more. Since I don't travel for biz, I don't usually wear suits. When I traveled for job interviews in the 1980s/early 90's, I usually wore a suit when flying. Especially if the interviewers are meeting me at the arriving airport!

One thing I wish the US airports have are showers! I feel guilty not having showered for many hours and most of the connecting airports in the US do not have showers that the public can use for low cost/free. Some of the overseas airports I'd been to (SYD, MEL, etc) have either free/low cost showers. It is nice to use these facilities when connecting and/or arriving.

Since I have at least mid/top status on a few airlines, alot of the lounges (especially overseas) have showers and it is very nice. Presently, I don't have to do a limited body cleanup in the airplane's lav very often due to alot of lounge access I have now.

I am tolerant of a slightly "smelly" person that have travelled 12-24 hrs in a airplane to the US arrival point & having to connect in a US airport where there are no public shower facilites. I am less tolerant of someone who started in the US that didn't have a shower & could have taken a shower. :td:

I do my best not to be in anyone's way & let the F/A's do their job. :)

You’ve got a few years on me, UNITEDBILL, but I too flew my first commercial flight on Capital Airlines in the 50’s. And while I long for airline travel as it was in the past I‘m also a realist and understand that the times have changed dramatically.
Airline travel has turned into a commodity...which has it’s pros and cons...and you definitely see a different mix of people flying than you did just 10 or 20 years ago.
That’s not an excuse for poor or rude behavior but, sadly, I think we’re just going to have to accept that airline travel today is what it is.

Dress code..
 

Hey ChuckD:

I would never look down at someone for dressing casually, that includes wearing jeans & sweaters in cold weather, etc. I came from a working calass family and my Dad always said to treat everybody the same: "Even the President puts his pants on one leg at a time"

It just Pi**Ses me off to have some one in clothes I would even give to the Salvation Army sitting next to me. I think it shows a lack on respect for yourself and your fellow travelers. True, things change, and i'm not one of those who longs for the "Good Old Days" (although First Class on Eastern was truly luxury) but common courtesy should not.

-Hammer

It's a different world since the days of the FC lounge on DC8/707's. I miss them and the special feeling i got when traveling back them. Today it's just a bunch of cattle, except for our FT members, of course.

Also known in my local airport as the WN terminal.

I'm a business casual person 99% of the time. Until 1995 (when I joined a small consulting firm), I worked in full-business dress environments. Sure, I looked nicer- but it was a darned expensive facade to maintain and a lot less comfortable. Dry-cleaning bills for the silk blouses. Hours of ironing for the things I washed myself. A couple of thousand $ a year to add new suits and accessories to the wardrobe. Endless pairs of pantyhose. Feet screaming at the end of the day after being trapped in high heels.

I fell bad about the demise of common courtesy but hope I never have to back to dressing like that six days a week (including church on Sunday) again.

707 FC Lounge & Eastern FC
 

Yep, Wheels_Up, you did get a special feeling. I never got to experience the true luxury of the 707 FC Lounge, but I did get to experience FC on the 727's a bit. I flew the Eastern Shuttle back in the day between LGA & BOS at least once a week, and down to TIA once a month.

Talking about Cattle, one wonders what the FC Lounge on the new A380 Titanic is going to be like...

Yeah, but it kind of tied into the whole casual dress being in some respects reprobate. I don't think a minority of idiots can be used as the basis for a zeitgeist critique. But I did get off the point a little. It seems we all agree that dirty/inappropriate clothes/people/behavior have no place on a plane or anywhere else.


'I find that Europeans are more polite. Less yelling on the cell phone'

I find that europeans seem to think europeans are more polite, but japanese as a whole are more polite and accomodating (except when it comes to riding the train).

Eastern's First Class was "luxurious"? I know some old H.E.A.L. (Hate Eastern Air Lines) members from the 60s who would beg to differ. :D

Actually, I flew Eastern First Class on a few occasions, including longer flights (ATL-LAX) that featured the Ionosphere Service. It really wasn't bad and the seats on those old DC-8s seemed alot wider and deeper than today's light weight specials. As for lounges, Eastern had two of the nicest on it's L-1011 Whisperliners, one for First Class and one for Coach. Seating was 2-4-2 with a big divider in the middle section that made it more like 2-2 seating.

For awhile in 1972/73, TWA even offered a bar/lounge in the middle of its domestic 707s. Flying was downright classy back then, regardless of what class you travelled in. People dressed alot nicer, too.

Speaking of TWA and the "Good Old Days", some of you may enjoy these two posts I submitted about airline travel in the 1970s:

TWA First Class DEN-JFK 1972 - The Good Old Days

Denver to Honolulu via Canada in1976

.

I graduated HS in '76
 

Hi Seat 2A:

Great threads, thanks for posting. I vaguely remember the '70's too ;) Enjoy those Northern Lights!!

-Hammer

I am 21, I don't remember the good ol days, I never flew in the good ol days, and I don't care what it was like in the good ol days. Times change, and not for the worst.

Now-a-days I dress depending on where I am flying and in what class. If I am flying domestic I'm probably in F/C so I know I am not looking for an op-up and will dress down a bit more.

If I am flying international C, I always dress nicely because it may increase chances of a gate upgrade to F. Rare indeed, but every bit helps. After take-off I just switch into PJ's.

In intl F (the one time I was), I dressed to the nines because it felt good to be dressed up in intl F. On the same flight across the aisle was a passenger in hiking attire (imagine a paleontologist on his way to a dig) so YMMV.

If in any situation the upgrade is not confirmed before day of, I will always show up looking nice(er), just in case.

It sucks, but I am always aware of how I dress when I travel and because of this I dress from jeans and a nice polo or dry cleaned button up to a jacket with jeans (don't really do slacks) straight out of the dryer.

My next trip is long and I have NC/NF confirmed. I think I'll forgo dressing nicely and just arrive at the airport already dressed in my PJ's and flip flops. All of you that have a problem can watch my backside as I take my comfortable tired self to seat 1A and then 15A on the upper deck of an UA 744. The sad part about it is that I'll be thinking that I should not have dressed down so much, but who cares. Last year in college, gotta be sloppy sometime.

anc

on a side note: I do NOT like the idea of allowing cell phone usage during the flight, and of course, like my other young(er) passengers, I am always polite and think about others when in the air.

Toes and body hair
 

Flying in jeans and tennis shoes doesn't bother me. Flying in shorts and a non collared shirt doesn't bother me. Being comfortable and practical is totally acceptable. People getting on a plane with flip flops or sockless sandals, especially those in need of "grooming" totally annoys me. Unfortunately, the flip-flops are usually part of a package ensemble that includes, for the guys, a tank top with lots of protruding hair, and for the women (more often than not from my observation) a halter top that exposes more than a few inches of skin. Airline travel has certainly become inexpensive enough for almost anyone to fly, but exposed body parts that are normally covered in polite company are unacceptable and can't be justified by cheap airfares. Church is free (well, supposedly) and I have never seen flip-flops there, regardless of the denomination

And for the record, I vote very strongly against allowing all those idiots that can't stay off a phone from having cell phone use during a flight - unless the airlines pass out noise cancelling headphones to block out all the self-important fools that believe they must scream at the top of their lungs to be heard on a cell phone.