I get that some people have business waiting at the pickup and wanting to look professional, but why everybody else?

There is a simple reason you haven't considered.

I want to bring my suit on the trip, and I don't want to crush it into a bag, because it'll wrinkle.

I'd say.. why not?

One reason among several is tradition. Air travel used to be the domain of the wealthy, at a time when the wealthy seldom left the house in super-casual or working-class attire.

My company was very old school and had a dress code for all stupid situations, including travel on business. Also, fly in and fly out meetings are a thing. In the 90’s they wouldn’t let you sit in first class - before points aligned status were a thing, travel enough and you would get bumped up often when in a suit over others.

LPT: You can roll suits and shirts in the bag so they don't wrinkle.

They probably dress nicely most of the time.

Because I come from a family of pilots and the free F&F tickets came with the stipulation that we dressed very nice. I grew up with that and the habit stuck.

By dressing nicely you show respect for other people.

I always put on pants when I go out. It's the decent thing to do

Wearing a shirt and nice trouser helps my business traveller persona dont want to explain an immigration officer why I wear work clothe and steel toe booth for a business meeting.

Anyway, I have a business meeting, need a suit and will be back the next day, so I am rather wearing my business suit, rather than taking a checked in luggage

I've never heard of that and I'm not sure I would agree.

For me, comfort, but also I'm usually flying for some kind of vacation where formal apparel doesn't make sense, like snowboarding or hiking.

Maybe that’s considered so in your (sub)culture, but it’s not a universal truth. That sounds like something a WASP boomer would say.

How? If I were meeting with someone in a formal setting, sure. If I'm flying somewhere after work just to go straight to my hotel, I'm not formally interacting with anyone where being dressed up makes a difference.

I'm don't see how it's any more respectful for anyone else I'm walking by in an airport terminal if I'm wearing a suit and tie vs sweatpants and a hoodie.

Does your statement imply that it's disrespectful to not dress up, or is putting on informal clothes kind of the baseline and dressing up is extra?

Human bias. People tend to treat you favorably when you dress a bit nicely. You don't have to over-do it, but you also don't want to appear "rough". I've travelled both ways, and can tell you for a fact, you get hassled more if you look like you just rolled out of bed, as opposed to someone who's at least trying to look presentable.

Habit. And I've become good at finding outfits that look nice and are just as comfortable as ones that look more casual.

Will definitely try this next time

I never understood why not. Dressing up "nicely" doesn't need to be uncomfortable at all. If the clothes fit well and are suitable for the occasion and location you can be comfortable and be dressed nicely.

What I never understood is people going out in pjama's or sportwear while acting like those are the only comfy clothes in the world and the rest of the people are making themselves have a worse time. Be it at airports/planes or elsewhere. Putting on decent pants take 2 seconds and can be just as comfy, so time and comfort aren't really much of an excuse. People should invest in good basics for day to day use, you'll earn it back in daily comfort.

But also, some people simply enjoy looking a certain way. Even for less comfortable clothes, that enjoyment can be bigger than the discomfort making it worth it to them. It's not always about having a reason.

wut

But, not a shirt, right? God, it's so hot right now. I just want my pits to air out a bit.

oh wrong post lol I'll delete it...

Don't bother. I tried it. 1 star.

I like clothes. When flying was a bigger deal people would dress up. With the democratisation of air travel, nobody does any more. Still, in my head it's an "excuse" to dress up due to the old etiquette. It feels good to me to arrive at a new place and look put together while I'm at it.

I feel like in Italy they still kept that mindset and it shows by how people are dressed in the street. Judging by the comments it's not so common to think that way any more.

It used to be good manners to dress up for stuff like this, probably left over from that. People would wear their church clothes when traveling.

As utilitarian as pyjamas are, not everyone finds them to be in good taste.

I'm not talking about wearing a suit. I'm talking about being clean and well groomed, showing that you care about your appearance.

There is a huge margin between pajamas and a suit.

I wear a t shirt and jeans, and put a pair of pajama pants in my carry on so I can change in the airplane toilet at the beginning of the flight for anything over 3 hours.

I wore suits and ties for many years, and now that I'm retired, I'll never wear another tie again.

Most days, I wear loose cotton pants, a t-shirt, and maybe an open shirt over that. And sneakers. Probably not even socks. If they don't like it, Fuck'em, I really don't care.

I'll put on big boy pants and a nice shirt if we're going out for Christmas dinner, and I'll wear socks, but it's still sneakers. And no tie, ever.

"Democratisation of air travel" ... Puhhh ... It's a fucking nightmare considering you are giving up almost every individual right when flying with commercial airlines.

Clothes make people.

Gotcha. I think the OP was specifically about being dressed formally, so that's why I was asking.

Other than smelling bad, why does it matter if I'm well groomed to passerbys or that I care about my appearance?

Again, I'm talking about potentially flight attendants, the people at the gate check, etc. we are ships passing in the night, they are there to make sure I'm me, and I'm just passing by. I agree that if you wear something that is offensive, like swear words or images that maybe considered obscene, that's not ok almost anywhere imo. But if I wear unbranded sweatpants and a hoodie, how would that make me being disrespectful? I'm not there for any person. I'm not there to win favor. They are there to do there job which is to check me in or provide a service, or as far as random passerbys, we are just sharing a space.

So do you believe that it's disrespectful to dress down or is dressing up just more respectful in your opinion?

I don’t dress formally, but I always try to put effort into my outfit. Why not look good if I have the choice?

If your clothes have more substance than your self you probably need to try harder.

Gotta be classy sometimes yk

It's never about me, it's about others. In airports you are subject to others. It's a security dictatorship. Really don't get why my comment gets downvoted. Seems some people can not accept how superficial people are in reality. "Clothes makes people" is as old as clothes are.

I'm bringing t-shirts, work clothes, and a suit.

What packs best? What packs into my bag with the most/least difficulty?

I wear the thing that tolerates bags the least, and I pack the rest.

Good. One worry less.

Btw, remember the childish drama because Zelensky didn't have a tie in the oval office?

When I fly long distance I always make the effort to go in the (plane) bathroom and freshen up, brush my hair and such before I get there because I feel I get less hassle from immigration when I'm looking fresh as opposed to when I'm a red-eyed mess.

Despite the fact it should be perfectly expected for people to look like shit after a long-haul flight.

As you say, It's just human bias and people are affected by their biases even in roles where they should try not to be.

I actually find office/dress wear extremely comfortable.

Like to the extent I actually will wear more casual clothes to work to make sure I stay awake some days.

Don't look to this administration for any examples of the right thing to do.

Flying on an airplane used to be an experience in and out itself. Now it's just basically a bus.

You nailed it. When I wear a T-shirt and have my tattoos visible, security treat me like shit and I always get pulled aside for extra checks and drug swipes. If I wear a nice suit, I get smiles and no hassle.

Apparently you should at least avoid wearing shorts on planes. There's multiple reasons, including not sticking your skin where others people's skin have been stuck, but the most important to me is because of the slides in case of emergency.

If you wear shorts and for some reason the slides have to be used to exit the plane, you risk being burned.

WASP boomer

Wide ass, soaking pussy?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Anglo-Saxon_Protestants

Yes, but also, if people like wearing pijamas or sportswear, don't judge them for that. Just let people wear what they are comfy in.