Overview
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy released a holiday-travel video with etiquette coach Alison Cheperdak outlining passenger “red flags,” “green flags,” and “beige flags.”
- Red flags include blocking the aisle, bringing smelly food, going barefoot, playing audio aloud, and taking calls on speakerphone; green flags include helping with bags, encouraging parents, and welcoming visitors; beige flags cover seat swaps, reclining, and armrest use.
- The video is part of Duffy’s “Golden Age of Travel Starts With You” campaign and introduces no enforcement actions or regulatory changes.
- Industry commentary argues the focus on manners sidesteps air traffic control modernization, TSA delays, and airline service failures, with some critics also citing perceived hypocrisy tied to President Trump’s behavior.
- Supportive takes frame the push as a useful expectations reset that can complement modernization efforts, though skeptics doubt short videos will meaningfully change passenger conduct.