NASHVILLE—The Sunday after Thanksgiving is traditionally the busiest travel day of the year. And yesterday was no exception.
“We are projecting that the Sunday after Thanksgiving will be one of the busiest travel days in TSA history,” said Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl. The agency projected that more than 3 million travelers took to the skies on November 30.
Some of those travelers may have thought twice about tossing on sweats for their flights home, thanks to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s recent exhortation to leave the pajamas at home and “dress with respect” on flights.
The Daily Wire took a trip down to Broadway in the heart of Nashville to gauge how Americans felt about Duffy’s statement.
“We used to have dignity in everything we did,” one man said, lamenting that “we have decayed into being comfortable in every aspect of our lives.”
“I would agree people should dress up more, especially in the airport,” said another, whose nicely tailored suit may indicate a little bias.
But others rejected Duffy’s call to fly formal — an attitude that may be appealing to anyone flying home after a long weekend filled with stuffing, cheer, and more stuffing.
“To dress up is just uncomfortable,” one woman told The Daily Wire.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wants to bring back civility to airplanes… do you prefer to fly comfy or classy?@LyndenBlake asks the people ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/o4kSYy1C61
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) November 26, 2025
This year’s domestic travel forecast includes an additional 1.6 million travelers compared to last Thanksgiving. Stahl said the record numbers are credit to President Donald Trump.
“America is entering a Golden Age of Travel as record numbers of holiday travelers are taking to the skies,” he said. “The majority of TSA’s Top 10 Travel Days have happened since President Trump took office.”
Duffy introduced a new campaign “The Golden Age of Travel Starts With You” ahead of the holiday season.
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Duffy’s goal is to restore courtesy and class to air travel, by first respecting yourself. That message seems to resonate with Americans, with one traveler telling The Daily Wire that “dressing nicely is a sign that you respect yourself and those around you.” Another added that “all the airport staff will treat you better guaranteed.”
Some travelers, though, argue that a revival of air travel standards needs to start at the top.
“In the 1940s—1980s Americans wore their Sunday best until we realized that we were just flying in an air bus,” one traveler said. “When the seats were bigger and you had more room for yourself, sure, I had no problem dressing up.”
It’s not just the crowded flights that discourage Americans from dressing up, but also the chaos that overcrowding brings: since 2021, the FAA has recorded nearly 6,000 incidents involving unruly passengers.
Duffy hopes that as passengers begin dressing with dignity, we’ll see fewer of those incidents.
“Let’s be merry this holiday season as we fly!” Duffy said. “Dress up to go to the airport, help a stranger out, and be in a good mood. We can bring civility back, it’s as easy as that!”
A woman fresh off a plane told The Daily Wire she always dresses to impress when traveling, and offered this encouragement.
“Comfort and dressing to impress can go together very well. Just please don’t wear a robe.”
