An American Airlines flight attendant serves drinks to passengers after departing Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Robert Alexander/Getty Images
The U.S. Department of Transportation has launched a civility campaign to encourage better behavior on planes and in airports as the busy holiday travel season gets underway. The initiative, called “The Golden Age of Travel Starts with You,” was announced in a department press release last week.
The DOT released a 90-second video that begins with nostalgic footage of air travel set to Frank Sinatra’s “Come Fly With Me,” then shifts to tense music and clips of in‑flight disputes. Secretary Sean Duffy asks five questions he says every traveler should consider this holiday season, including whether you would help a pregnant woman stow her bag in the overhead bin, whether you are dressing with respect, and whether you thank flight attendants and pilots.
“The campaign is intended to jumpstart a nationwide conversation around how we can all restore courtesy and class to air travel,” the release says. “This won’t just make the travel experience better for the flying public — it will ensure the safety of passengers, gate workers, flight attendants, and pilots.”
The DOT points to a rise in unruly behavior: 13,800 incidents involving unruly passengers have been reported since 2021. The department also says the FAA has seen a roughly 400% increase in in‑flight outbursts since 2019. In 2023 the FAA reported nearly 2,000 incidents, a drop from the pandemic peak when mask mandates sparked many disputes.
Looking ahead to the holiday, the FAA expects this Thanksgiving to be the busiest for air travel in 15 years, with Tuesday likely to be the single busiest day. AAA projects about 6 million people will fly in the U.S. over the Thanksgiving holiday. The DOT’s campaign aims to turn that traffic into a safer, more courteous travel experience by encouraging small acts of consideration from every traveler.