Jaunted

I agree that United was wrong to treat a paying passenger this way, and they have admitted as much, but the incident reminds me of just how much air travel has changed since the glory days of the fifties, sixties, and seventies. People treated flying like a special occasion back then, and dressed for the part. When I was a kid in the seventies, my parents made me wear a jacket and (clip-on) tie for every flight. Of course, we were an airline employee family, so those dress codes applied to us, but it seemed like everybody around us at least made an effort to look decent.

A tracksuit is comfortable, no doubt, but it's also kind of gauche to wear on an airplane. Given his high-powered job, you'd think Alvarez would want to be decently attired while he's in public. To his credit, he said that he usually packs his work suits in a checked bag to keep them clean and wrinkle-free, but is a Puma track suit the only alternative? I'm no Richie Rich, but I at least manage to wear a decent pair of pants and a sweater when I fly these days.

Still, it's a different world now, and if a paying passenger wants to go casual, it's his right. And while I might silently look down on his fashion choices if he sat next to me in his Tony Soprano getup, I certainly wouldn't be offended. Oh well, I guess the only way for the fashionable few to travel anymore is on the Queen Mary 2. I'll see you at the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Bar, once I can afford a proper tuxedo. And a cruise on the Queen Mary 2.

[Photo: drjays.com]

Related Stories:
· Man Denied First Class Due To Track Suit [UPI]
· First Class Dress Codes and Security Rules for Celebrities [petergreenberg.com]
· Fashion [Jaunted]