This Thursday, November 27, thousands of families across the United States will gather to enjoy Thanksgiving together. About 91% of Americans celebrate it, according to the latest data from the Pew Research Center. Many of them will have to take a plane to reunite with their loved ones and the country’s Department of Transportation knows it: last Tuesday alone there were almost double the number of flights (52,000), according to their data. For this reason this year it shared a campaign focused above all on these dates with a clear message: recover civility and good manners not only when everyone is sitting around the table before biting into the turkey, but also in airports.
Sean Duffy, appointed Secretary of Transportation by President Donald Trump last July, has agreed to star in this campaign whose ultimate goal is to restore what they call “the golden age of travel.” Last week, Duffy shared a video on his Instagram profile – where he has 91,600 followers – that begins with old images from that golden era: dutiful travelers in suits, suits, hats and briefcases neatly boarding the plane, passengers smiling at the worker checking their ticket, or silver-propeller planes calmly taking flight. All with the song Come fly with me, by Frank Sinatra, in the background to give it more elegance and solemnity. “We respected the dignity of air travel and the men and women who made this dream possible,” says a deep voice worn out. “Flying was a bastion of a good education,” he says.
But that idyllic harmony of the past breaks down to give way to images of the present that show exactly the opposite. The video becomes a chain of bare feet navigating the seat’s touch screen or perching on the headrest of the person in front, travelers arguing in the terminal using “Wet Floor” signs as a weapon, and examples of passengers yelling, punching, and hair-pulling other passengers – or even workers – on board the plane. “It’s not your imagination, traveling has become more uncivilized!” Duffy highlights this in the text accompanying the publication. And he provides three data – coming from the United States – to prove it: “400% increase in violent explosions on planes since 2019, one in five flight attendants say they have suffered physical accidents and cases of unruly passengers have doubled since 2019”.
The video then continues by projecting Duffy himself on an old television, who before becoming Transport Secretary was a television presenter and collaborator, as well as a participant in a reality show where he met his current wife, Rachel Campos—. “Let’s recover education and good manners,” he says, addressing the public directly. “How can we do it better?” he asks. “Maybe we should say please and thank you to our pilots,” he suggests as a start. “We try not to wear slippers or pajamas when we arrive at the airport,” warns travelers who opt for maximum comfort.
This Monday, November 25, Duffy himself wanted to set an example by showing up at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey to witness firsthand what he calls “the largest Thanksgiving travel season in history.” He appeared dressed in a blue suit, white shirt and brown tie. “I almost wore jeans, but I thought it was better not to if the goal was to talk about preparation,” he joked to reporters. However, the transport minister suggested that jeans and a decent t-shirt are a great outfit for air travel. “I can’t force people to be civil, but you’re not going to get a better outcome if you don’t ask. So I just ask,” he said.
To continue the campaign, this Wednesday Duffy uploaded another video to his networks in which he introduces Lily, a woman who has worked as a hostess for 19 years; to be precise, in recent days he has already published another video in which he praises this work, with images of hostesses cradling children, distributing free pizzas after a delay or congratulating brides who are about to get married. Duffy asks her how passengers can help return to that golden age of travel and she doesn’t ask too much of them. If they said “hello,” “please,” and “thank you” and had a little patience during takeoff and landing, Lily’s travels would be much more enjoyable.
