Survey: Airlines should be able to dictate dress codes for passengers

One in five travelers believe airlines should have a right to dictate dress code to passengers before boarding an airplane. According to a GO Airport Survey – inspired by a recent incident in which Southwest Airlines deemed a passenger’s outfit inappropriate and would not let her board until she changed – 21% of travelers agreed that airlines deserved that right.

Of 289 respondents, 31% disagreed, implying travelers have a right to dress as they choose, while 37% said they did not have an opinion one way or another.

“These results indicate travelers care most about getting to where they are going and are not paying attention, or caring, what others are wearing at the airport or on a plane,” said GO Airport Express President John McCarthy.

Several survey respondents noted that if an airline clearly states in its policies that it has a dress code, it should have every right to enforce the policy. Others answered “yes” in instances where the questionable attire jeopardized the safety of other passengers or was inappropriate for children.

Surprisingly, slightly more men (24%) responded that airlines should be able to ask people to change clothes before boarding, compared with women at 21%.

GO Airport Express was founded in 1853 as the Parmelee Transportation Company – a carriage service between Chicago’s railroad stations and downtown hotels. The company is a founding member of The GO Group LLC, the nation’s largest airport transportation provider, serving close to 80 airports in North America, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe and transporting more than 13 million passengers per year.