When United Airlines gate agents recently refused to allow two teenage girls to board a flight because they were wearing leggings, they tangled with the wrong wardrobe staple. A massive Twitter revolt erupted — check out #leggingsgate and #leggingsban — with photos of women flaunting their leggings in airline seats.
First off, relax. Airlines are happy for you to fly in your stretchy pants; the teens denied boarding were traveling on employee family passes, thus were required to meet the dress code.
But besides leggings, what are some things that make airline travel more comfortable, easier, healthier and fun? We asked some serious road — or rather sky — warriors how they manage.
“I kind of have a system … by controlling what I can,” says Manhattan-based Susan Portnoy, whose photography blog, The Insatiable Traveler (theinsatiabletraveler.com), chronicles her adventures. She’s taken the 16-hour trip to South Africa eight times and last year alone visited Cuba, Mongolia and Vienna. “There’s a certain amount of prep, but I always put things in my carry-on bag in the same place every time,” she says emphatically. The multi-pocketed bag has got to be “cute, but not too cute, so I can use it as a footrest.” As for her clothes, she says, “I never wear anything that has zippers or underwires.” Her usually all-black ensemble includes yoga pants (whoops — a leggings cousin), a sports bra, black tank and cashmere sweater, and sometimes a colorful printed scarf to dress it up. She has worn through several pairs of ballet flats — she likes the brand me Too, and on the plane slips on peds with nonslip treads.
For Vera Sweeney, author and founder of the popular lifestyle blog Lady and the Blog (ladyandtheblog.com) who finds herself on a plane eight to 10 days a month, the absolute must- have is an oversized scarf "because I tend to get cold while flying." The Garden City mother of three adds that the scarf reminds her of home. "Airplane blankets are never my first choice," she says.
Frequent travelers all note that organization is key. “Routine brings about a sense of calm for me,” says Sweeney. “I always pack the same things.” Her wardrobing mantra is “comfortable but chic,” and she only wears leggings in winter, “as long as I can wear an oversized sweater or tunic.” Her big no-no is shoes or boots that have any metal in them. They “don’t play nice with TSA PreCheck,” she says.
Veteran traveler Nancy Lashine, founder and managing partner of Park Madison Partners, a real estate finance company in Manhattan, clocked almost 100,000 air miles this year. The last four weeks alone brought the Port Washington resident to Africa, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Dallas. Her carry-on go-to is a hardside, four-wheel Tumi (“it’s never a question that it will fit,”) along with a soft, expandable Longchamp bag for necessities and gadgets that fits under the seat. On a recent 30-hour trip from Botswana, Lashine wore black yoga pantshort boots, a soft cotton tee and a sweater; she always brings a Uniqlo jacket or vest. And she keeps her passport in a brightly colored case, “so I can find it easily and don’t leave it anywhere.”
A recent addition to Lashine’s bag — a crisp white cotton shirt, to throw on during layovers because, she says, “I didn’t want to look like a schlep on this trip.” Who does?
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