Transportation Secretary Duffy Urges Travelers to Ditch Pajamas at Airports

During the Thanksgiving travel rush in late November 2025, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy launched what he called a "civility campaign," urging Americans to dress better at airports and avoid wearing pajamas or slippers. Speaking at Newark Airport, Duffy said he had noticed a decline in civility among travelers and suggested that dressing more formally, such as in jeans and a decent shirt, might encourage better behavior in crowded terminals.

The comments came against a backdrop of a reported 400% rise in disruptive in-flight incidents since 2019, according to FAA data. Duffy framed the appeal as a low-cost way to ease tensions during one of the busiest travel periods of the year, and an etiquette expert echoed that pajamas are better suited to private settings than public terminals.

Critics saw the remarks as a symbolic gesture that sidestepped more substantive issues within the Transportation Department's purview, such as staffing shortages, delays and consumer protections. Some travelers responded by deliberately wearing pajamas to the airport in what was described as "malicious compliance."