We are flying to Sri Lanka with Cathay Pacific.
It's been a few years since I've flown Business class, so when our bid was accepted for an upgrade we were delighted, but I was also a
little apprehensive. From what I remember it was fairly stuffy. No one even seemed to get out of shirt collars, never mind plane pyjamas.
We're both retired, no longer representing anyone but ourselves, but I worry I'll face judgment (or worse) if I turn up in the shorts and jandals combo I'm planning on spending most of the holiday in.
Have things loosened up? Or is there some sort of dress code I need to be aware of?
Hugh
First off, congratulations on the upgrades! Secondly, relax. You can leave the three-piece suit at home.
No one is seriously suggesting you spend 17 hours in a pressurised tube in your Sunday best. Most long-haul passengers change into something more comfortable the moment the seat-belt signs are extinguished. Airlines are only too happy for you to do so. Some carriers like Qantas, Qatar and even United's Polaris Class guests will provide a set of complimentary jim-jams for the journey. Sadly Cathay Pacific doesn't have pyjamas in Business; fortunately it doesn't have a dress code either.
Though most airlines do have a loose set of guidelines on clothing, Cathay Pacific has no written dress code for flights. Trainers, shorts – hell, you can go full socks and sandals if you're into that. You'd have to look at someone's boarding pass to tell which direction they will turn on entering a plane.
That being said, there are some wardrobe malfunctions where airline staff can't just use their discretion and look the other way.
I've never heard of anyone being "downgraded" for wearing the wrong thing but in a worst-case scenario you can be refused boarding.