From pajamas and flip-flops to blazers and loafers, airport style varies widely depending on where you’re flying from.
While some travelers treat the airport like a runway, others prioritize comfort above all else, even if that means showing up in pajamas.
Airport attire is now part of the travel experience, but just how much effort are Americans putting into what they wear when they fly, and which cities lean the most casual?
To find out, Locals Insider conducted a 2026 nationwide study surveying Americans across the 30 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. Respondents were asked about their airport style preferences, comfort priorities, attitudes toward pajama-wearing, and whether they believe airlines should enforce dress codes.
We then analyzed the results across six weighted metrics to create an overall Airport Casual Score (0-10), ranking cities from most to least dressed down.
For the purposes of this study, “worst-dressed” refers to cities where travelers are most likely to prioritize loungewear, report low effort in their airport attire, support pajama-wearing, and oppose formal dress codes. It does not reflect fashion taste, but rather overall comfort-first dressing habits.
Highlights:
- Nearly 4 in 10 Americans (38%) say their go-to airport style is loungewear, including sweatpants, hoodies, and pajamas.
- More than half (57%) say dressing well when flying isn’t important.
- Half of Americans (50%) admit to judging other travelers based on what they wear.
- Only 36% say pajama pants are unacceptable on a flight.
- More than 1 in 4 (28%) support airlines enforcing a dress code.
- Roughly 1 in 4 Americans say pajama pants should be permanently banned while flying.
- Portland ranks #1 for the worst-dressed flyers, followed by Denver, Cleveland, San Francisco, and Philadelphia.
- Miami ranks as the most polished city in the nation, earning the lowest Airport Casual Score overall.
It’s no secret that America’s airport style has gotten much more casual over the years.
According to respondents, 46% say airport and flying fashion has gotten worse throughout the last decade. To see where airport style has shifted the most, we ranked the cities where travelers are the most likely to dress down.
1. Portland, OR
Portland tops the list with the highest Airport Casual Score in the country. Residents here are among the most likely to prioritize comfort over style when flying, with a majority saying making an effort at the airport isn’t important. More than half of respondents in Portland say pajama pants are acceptable on a flight, and a high share admit to wearing sweatpants or similar loungewear when traveling.
2. Denver, CO
It may be the “Mile High City,” but most residents in Denver say they don’t go the extra mile when it comes to airport fashion. Denver ranks second overall, largely due to its emphasis on comfort while in the air. Nearly one-third say their go-to airport style is loungewear, according to survey respondents.
3. Cleveland, OH
Cleveland ranks third among the nation’s “worst-dressed” flyers. Survey respondents report high levels of comfort prioritization, with nearly 4 in 10 saying they put comfort above style when it comes to flying.
4. San Francisco, CA
With strong support for comfort-first attire, San Francisco ranks fourth overall. According to respondents, 2 in 3 believe it’s socially acceptable to wear pajama pants while flying, and 58% say it’s not important to make an effort with attire when it comes to flying.
5. Philadelphia, PA
Rounding out the top five cities is Philadelphia. Travelers in the “City of Brotherly Love” apparently love a laidback approach when it comes to airport attire. According to respondents, 53% say it’s socially acceptable to wear pajama pants while flying, and 45% say their go-to airport style is loungewear.
Beyond overall rankings, certain cities stand out for specific airport fashion habits. Below are the cities where pajamas, sweats, sandals, and flip-flops are most commonly worn at the airport, according to survey respondents.
Which Cities Have the Best-Dressed Flyers?
While some cities embrace the sweatpants-and-slides lifestyle, others still put real effort into how they show up at the gate.
Based on survey responses, these cities stood out as the most polished flyers overall, with residents putting loungewear low on their list of go-to airport attire, higher effort, and less tolerance for pajama pants in public.
1. Miami, FL
Miami tops the list as the most polished city for airport attire. Less than 3 in 10 respondents say their go-to travel style is loungewear, and nearly 6 in 10 say that putting effort into airport attire is important.
2. Dallas, TX
Dallas ranks second, with a stricter view of what’s acceptable attire at the airport. Overall, 42% of respondents say pajama pants are not acceptable to wear while flying, and 48% say putting effort into your attire is important.
3. Washington, D.C.
Coming in at No. 3 is Washington, D.C., with 43% of respondents saying they balance comfort with style. Only about 1 in 5 say their go-to airport style is loungewear. For many D.C. travelers, looking presentable still matters even with a 6 a.m. departure.
When it comes to how travelers dress outside of the U.S., survey respondents say travelers from France, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom are the best-dressed travelers in the world.
How Do Americans Dress at the Airport in 2026?
Airport fashion may vary by city, but nationwide survey results reveal a clear shift toward comfort-first travel.
When asked to describe their typical airport style, 38% of Americans say they opt for loungewear, including sweatpants, hoodies, or pajamas.
Additionally, more than half of respondents (57%) say it’s not important to put effort into how they dress when flying. For many travelers, comfort outweighs appearances, especially during early departures, long security lines, and cross-country flights.
While only 36% of Americans say pajama pants are unacceptable at the airport, nearly 1 in 4 (24%) believe pajama pants should be banned altogether. However, despite the overall relaxed approach to airport attire, 50% of Americans admit they judge other travelers based on what they wear while on a flight.
Is there a solution to dialing back America’s laidback airport style? For some, the answer is a dress code. According to respondents more than 1 in 4 (28%) say they support airlines having stricter dress codes, and 24% say pajama pants should be banned entirely.
While it isn’t a majority, it does show a divide between how Americans view fashion when flying.
Which Age Group Dresses the Worst When Flying?
According to survey responses, Gen Z travelers are the “worst-dressed” passengers when flying, with the highest share reporting that sweatpants or similar comfort-first attire is their go-to airport style.
Millennials follow closely behind, balancing comfort with style more often but still leaning toward casual options.
In terms of the “best-dressed” travelers, Baby Boomers take the top spot, and are the least likely to report wearing loungewear at the airport and the most likely to say that putting effort into their appearance matters.
Even though airport fashion is becoming more relaxed overall, expectations around appearance still shift depending on age.
Whether it’s sweatpants in security lines or tailored outfits at the gate, airport style reflects how Americans view travel itself.
While most Americans aren’t calling for formal dress codes anytime soon, the divide between style and comfort remains very much alive. Depending on where you fly from, your airport outfit might say more than you think.
Methodology
In February 2026, we surveyed 1,500 Americans across the 30 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. Respondents were asked a series of questions about their airport attire preferences, including how they typically dress when flying, how important comfort and effort are when choosing an outfit, whether pajama pants are acceptable at the airport, support for airport dress codes, and whether they personally wear pajamas or sweatpants while traveling.
Each city’s ranking was determined using six metrics:
- Share of respondents who describe their airport style as loungewear
- Comfort prioritization score
- Effort level score
- Percentage who say pajama pants are acceptable
- Support (or opposition) for dress codes
- Percentage who report wearing pajamas or sweatpants when flying
To ensure consistency across metrics with different response scales, each factor was standardized. The standardized values were then averaged to create an overall Airport Casual Score for each city, with higher scores indicating a more casual airport style overall.
To maintain accuracy, extreme outliers were evaluated using the Interquartile Range (IQR) method to prevent skewed results.
Survey Demographics
Gender: Female (57%); Male (42%); Non-binary (1%)
Age Range: 18 – 84 (average: 39 years old)
Limitations: Self-reported survey data may be subject to recall bias or social desirability bias.
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