Did transportation secretary recommend that people not wear sweat pants on flights?

1. What Duffy actually said — a civility campaign that mentions pajamas and “dress with respect”

The Department of Transportation rolled out a campaign called “The Golden Age of Travel Starts With You,” featuring a video and social posts where Secretary Sean Duffy urged passengers to “be courteous,” “say please and thank you,” and “dress with respect” — language that explicitly contrasts modern casual attire (including pajamas/sweatpants) with a nostalgic image of past air travel civility ^{[1] [5] [2]}.

2. Where the “don’t wear sweatpants” line came from

Multiple outlets quote Duffy or DOT materials urging travelers to “smarten up” or not wear pajamas to the airport. One report notes Duffy saying, “Sometimes you just have to ask people, ‘Hey, let’s go back to an era where we didn’t wear our pajamas to the airport,’” and several news items summarize the campaign as encouraging passengers to dress better ^{[7] [8] [9]}.

3. How media framed the message — safety, civility or tone policing?

Mainstream coverage situates the appeal inside an effort to reduce unruly passenger incidents: DOT and FAA data cited in the reporting say in-flight disturbances are up substantially since 2019, figures the campaign uses to justify its push for civility ^{[2] [1]}. Other pieces interpret the clothing emphasis as tone policing or nostalgia for a “golden age,” questioning whether dress codes address root causes like alcohol, staffing, and operational delays ^{[5] [6]}.

4. Public reaction — mockery and criticism on social media

Social and commentary outlets amplified backlash. Comedians, flight attendants and everyday travelers mocked the emphasis on attire — some arguing delays and airport inefficiencies make comfort (sweatpants/pajamas) practical — and others saying the secretary is blaming flyers instead of addressing system failures ^{[4] [10] [11]}.

5. What the DOT/FAA data cited in coverage actually says (and limits of that claim)

News reports repeat DOT/FAA figures of a roughly 400% increase in certain types of unruly passenger incidents since 2019 and cite thousands of incidents since 2021; DOT materials and outlets use those statistics as background to the civility push ^{[2] [1] [8]}. The Independent notes some confusion in how those percentages are presented and compares DOT claims with other industry data, indicating statistical presentation can be contested ^[6].

6. Alternative viewpoints — why clothing may be symbolic, not causal

Commentary pieces and travel critics highlight that many drivers of in-flight conflict — alcohol availability, staffing shortages, flight delays, mask-era tensions, and cramped seating — are unaffected by what passengers wear; they argue the campaign is more about signaling norms than fixing operational problems ^{[5] [12]}. Fox Business and DOT statements, meanwhile, frame the initiative as part of broader steps to maintain safety amid staffing stress in the air traffic system ^{[8] [13]}.

7. What’s left unaddressed in reporting (limits of available sources)

Available sources report Duffy’s remarks, the DOT video, the statistics cited, and public reaction, but they do not provide rigorous evidence that clothing choices reduce disruptive incidents; they also don’t include new enforcement guidance banning pajamas or sweatpants on flights ^{[1] [2]}. Available sources do not mention any regulatory change requiring passengers to wear specific attire (not found in current reporting).

8. Bottom line for readers

Yes — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy publicly urged travelers to “dress with respect” and suggested we “go back” to not wearing pajamas to airports as part of a civility campaign; that language has been widely quoted and criticized across outlets ^{[1] [7] [2]}. Critics and analysts argue clothing advice is largely symbolic and doesn’t address underlying safety and operational drivers of unruly behavior, a viewpoint reflected in multiple reports ^{[5] [6]}.