I wear yoga pants and a t-shirt on airplanes. No way am I wearing anything with an actual waistband when I'm going to have to sit in an airplane seat for a few hours.

Yeah, maybe my jeans are too tight, but I don't actually find them all that comfortable on a plane.

I wear slippers on the plane when I take red-eyes home. I just keep a pair of sneakers in the front pocket of my carry-on for when I get back into the airport.

I almost always wear a knee- or full-length skirt, dressy t-shirt, jacket, pashmina-style scarf, and zip-up boots when flying (all in black, naturally). Multiple layers, comfy, still useful when in a survival situation, and I look nice enough that I've gotten upgraded a few times (not in the past 2 years, though. That seems to have gone by the wayside).

Complications ensue when I forget and put on all of my jewelry pre-airport, but the security line is usually long enough that I have time to take all of it off again and stow it in my bag.

The idea of dressing to impress anyone whilst traveling was knocked unconscious the minute we had to start taking off our damned shoes to go through security.

I dress for myself when I travel. Which means I wear regular JilliClothes, and occasionally have random strangers ask me if they can take my picture. Or break into a strange dance routine in the hopes that I will respond in kind.

The airlines and TSA treat us like cattle (and I've got "elite" status with United; so don't even want to think about how it is for the non-business travelers). When we're treated as such, it's hard to get motivated to dress like a movie star.

I have to admit, my wardrobe has never caused me any problems with TSA. They usually smile at me and say things like "Nice hat".

I do not think erin meant dress like a movie star when she asked the question. I like to wear comfortable clothes while traveling and slip on/off shoes, but I am pretty sure that does not exclude me from looking good enough to impress someone. Now my non-make-upped face or crazy un-done hair might.

In my twenties, when I spent a lot of time traveling to see my friends around the country, I always made sure I dressed snazzy because when I got off the plane I wanted to make that favorable first impression again, of "Wow, you look great!"

Which may just be vanity but it always seemed to get the visit off to a better start than, "Jesus, you look like a bag of farts."

But I do think there's a kind of mental audit that friends/family make when they see you again after long time apart. New hairstyle, weight gain or loss, cool new leather jacket, National Health glasses etc.

It's not always a judgmental impulse, but just reconciling the image they had of you with what you look like now.

I wear jeans to fly, but nice non-ratty ones, and an equally nice and non-ratty shirt. Because I don't want to look like a slob, but I'm going to be schlepping my carryons all over creation, crowded into narrow seats, etc., so I want clothes I can move easily and comfortably in, and for me that's just not a skirt. A tight skirt isn't comfortable enough, and a long, loose, flowy one gets caught in things, drags the ground when I stoop to pick up my luggage, etc. I guess I could fly business casual, but if I'm going to a conference, I'd rather save my conference clothes to wear there and not feel like I've gotten a perfectly good conference outfit grungey and wrinkly from a day on a plane. And if I'm on vacation or visiting family, all I'm taking is jeans or shorts and maybe one dressy outfit for church or a nice dinner.

They usually smile at me and say things like "Nice hat"

I do wish that those days of ladies' milliners would return. My DVR is set to record GSN's late night reruns of What's My Line?, and they're showing ones from 1954 right now. The women contestants' hats are mostly very cool, and I've wanted to buy more than a few of them if I had some place to wear them.

I don't wear make-up because I slather my face with moisturizer before the flight--which has done wonders for my post travel complexion, I must say. I make-up once I land. I do wear comfy clothes, but have to admit I look askance that folks who seem to equate comfy with "like a bum." Really, dude, a stained tank top, cut-off sweatpants and flip-flops--really?