Why Dressing for Flight Is Worth the Effort
Unless you are flying out of the plane and heading straight for a wedding or business meeting, it can be tempting to put on sweatpants or just travel in your pajamas. But it turns out that even a little effort for the look has its advantages. You might even get a better seat.
Once upon a time, airlines updated people based on how well they were dressed. Looks like a big businessman is stuck in the economy? Here’s your first class seat, sir. Things are different nowadays and airlines usually only renew themselves with loyalty programs. But according to George Hobick , founder of Airfare Watchdog, there is an upgrade to make it look better.
He told the New York Times that he was recently promoted to wear a nice suit while everyone else was wearing sandals and sportswear, and that his friends had told him similar stories over the years. Hobika also says that a friend of his, an agent at the entrance who worked at Lufthansa, sometimes updated people based on how well they were dressed after they had already gone through the status list and checked all the miles. Of course, not every airline will do it – a Delta spokesman said it won’t – and it is still rare if it does.
However, there are other reasons to dress well before your flight besides getting a better seat. You can earn a little special relationship with the flight attendants (good will help too), and it never hurts to look professional. After all, you never know who you are sitting next to. Finally, everything will be fine if the airline loses your baggage. You don’t have to come to this big meeting in sweatpants.
This story was originally published on 8/22/17 and updated on 6/10/19.