Comfort among the clouds: what to wear on a flight
Professional and comfortable, these wardrobe staples will see you arrive at your destination in style.
Dressing up for the flight in hope of securing an upgrade? Such an occurrence is unfortunately increasingly rare these days, with almost all upgrades automated based on frequent flyer status rather than a personal sense of style.
And where there is room for human intervention, smart casual will almost always be enough to get you the nod.
However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t carefully consider what you’re wearing for the flight – particularly if you’re looking to hit the ground running on business or maybe spend a little time in the airport lounge, where dress codes are often still enforced.
So, what’s good to wear? Having taken numerous domestic and international flights over the years, these are some of the tips I’ve picked up on the road.
Firstly; shorts and a t-shirt are perfectly fine for leisure trips, but minimum standard attire should be smart casual if you’re travelling for work – and you needn’t sacrifice comfort.
By that same token, wearing smart casual in the air means you’re also covered should your luggage not make it your intended destination with you, eliminating the stress of having to immediately go shopping if you have an event lined up after the flight.
(Packing a non-creasing shirt and some staple toiletries in your carry-on is always a good back-up. This also allows you to freshen up as soon as you arrive, if needed).
It should of course be noted that these same general rules apply regardless of gender.
As for the clothing options themselves, these are some of my standards, plus a few recommendations I’ve received from fellow travellers over the years.
Capsule wardrobes: packing interchangeable clothing you can mix and match – commonly referred to as a capsule wardrobe – is not only a great way to travel lighter, but it’s efficient too.
The process is simple. Pack neutral pants or jackets (black, navy, or taupe are my go-tos), together with a variety of shirts in various colours or patterns that work well together.
Mixing and matching allows you to create multiple individual outfits from the same base, and no one will be the wiser.
Layers: layering is important to cope with the varying temperatures on and off the plane. A smart puffer jacket that packs away to nothing is a handy edition for all seasons and can make a good makeshift pillow.
Pants: all-cotton chinos or slacks are a comfortable go-to option, particularly when compared to jeans, which can feel ‘heavy’ and restrictive with extended wearing. Chinos on the other hand are light and breathe well, and they still look good even with some in-flight creasing.
Shirts: either a non-branded polo/blouse (short or long sleeve depends mainly on your destination) or a long-sleeved casual shirt. Both all-cotton, and usually in black or navy – because they look good against the chinos and don’t show creases as much as lighter colours.
Shoes: slip-on shoes are made for breezing through airport security checkpoints and quickly slipping off once the flight begins, but if they’re too tight a fit you’ll have trouble slipping them onto your feet after 8+ hours in the air.
If you’re only travelling with one pair of shoes – which may be the case for a day-and-night trip – choose dressy slip-ons with a little more give around the sides, or comfortable lace-ups.
Jackets: what about your suit jacket? Don’t pack it, wear it.
It’ll look sharp in the lounge (if you choose the right clothes to wear on board) and once you’re on the plane you can have it hung in the business class wardrobe, or gently folded and stowed in an overhead locker.
Just place it on top of your carry-on luggage, not beside it, to avoid other passengers shoving their bag in and scrunching it up.
Have tips for your own go-to clothing options? Share them with other Executive Traveller readers in the comments.
Emirates Airlines - Skywards
19 Jan 2018
Total posts 25
It's the pants that I always struggle with. I don't wear chinos (don't even own any) and I can't bring myself to wear tracksuit pants (especially as I always wear a suit jacket when boarding/disembarking) and so I'm relegated to wearing denim jeans, which as you say, are heavy and become increasingly uncomfortable. I regularly fly to France on EK and so my first leg is approx. 14 hours (to DXB) and then 7 hours (to NCE). By the time I get off the A380 in NCE the jeans feel sweaty and maybe even a bit smelly! Anyone who has a good alternative to jeans please let me know. I should mention however that EK have gone back to providing J class travellers with pyjamas (for quite a while they stopped doing so) and therefore my dilemma is largely solved, but I'd still be interested in hearing about an alternative to jeans, as I am sometimes on airlines who don't provide pyjamas.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
10 Sep 2012
Total posts 38
TLH1964 I was similar and always wore jeans until I discovered Lululemon ( I know I know!) but their casual pants ( I have beige and black) are stretchy and airy and largely wrinkle free..and CRAZY comfortable. I never thought I'd be a convert but I now pretty much travel in Lulu head to toe! ;)
04 Sep 2019
Total posts 66
comfortable clothes which don't set off the security screening machines.
Rookie travellers travel in clothes where you have to strip down, shoes off, take off your 100 pieces of jewellery, etc
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
27 Jun 2013
Total posts 22
I wear Ascender Chinos from Bluffworks, especially for long haul flights or short 1-2 night business trips interstate. Excellent trousers that are super light, flexible & unbelievably comfortable. They mix & match with anything (tees, polos or business shirts) & I can wear them for business and casual outings, all day & night without feeling like I've been wearing trousers all day, even in hot & humid climates.
08 Jan 2012
Total posts 11
LuLuLemon make a stretch cotton trouser that is excellent for travel. Good for golf as well!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
10 Sep 2012
Total posts 38
Huge 'plus 1' to Lululemon..pants/golf shirts are incredibly comfortable, cool, and breathable!!
14 Aug 2024
Total posts 6
Good article, thank you.
Hiking pants are comfortable, stretchy, quick dry, stain resistant, easy to clean, non-iron, weigh very little and pack down tiny. MacPac Tarn are good and passable as trousers but there are many others. Have used for many long multi week trips including 1st, BC and hotel lounges.
Merino wool tops are great, non-iron and odourless, better than cotton. Good in warm or cool weather, just need layering to adjust. Squashes down tiny and relaxes quickly on wearing or on a hanger.
Nothing amongst them that bothers screening machines and leaves plenty of room in the bag if need to bring formal wear.
21 Apr 2016
Total posts 24
Can't wear a t-shirt when travelling for work ... what?
If I'm flying 10+ hours I'll definitely be having a shower and changing clothes before meeting anyone. Why shouldn't I wear whatever I feel comfortable in on the flight there..?
10 Jan 2019
Total posts 4
At the risk of being laughed at, and after years of resisting wearing a brand called Lululemon, my wife bought me a pair of their travel pants - they're the best ever. Smart casual, comfortable, stretch, crease resistant, I now have the three pairs in go to colours, black, navy and taupe . They're also very easy to wash and quick to dry if you have to.
08 Jan 2012
Total posts 11
I have black, navy and grey!
14 Aug 2024
Total posts 6
They sound great. Thank you.
14 Aug 2024
Total posts 6
Quick dry underwear and socks help with travelling light also. Kathmandu and Fox River respectively. Merino wool socks last for days on a short trip but take a while to dry after washing.
14 Aug 2024
Total posts 6
Scottevest.com has jackets and other wearable options with many pockets that make transits easy as one doesn’t have to decant everything from a bag to the screening tray and repack. Functions as another carryon for gadgets, iPad, passports etc but it is not weighed. I take one of their jackets along with the allowed carryon bags and have travelled with no checked luggage for weeks over many years.
Belts are tricky now as the newer scanners see even canvas belts with plastic buckles so I have had to remove them a few times. Even an empty unzipped pocket in pants with no belt triggered a search in MEL recently.
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