Tampa airport announces pajama ban in bizarre post after already banishing Crocs: ‘The madness stops today’

The Tampa International Airport will “ban” travelers from wearing pajamas on their flights, according to an announcement on social media.

"We've seen enough. We've had enough. It's time to ban pajamas at the Tampa International Airport," the post reads. "Pajamas. At. The. Airport. In the middle of the day."

The supposed ban comes after the airport claims it successfully banned the wearing of Crocs footwear.

"After successfully banning Crocs and giving everyone the amazing opportunity to experience the world's first Crocs-free airport, it's time to take on an even larger crisis," the post says.

The cheeky post declared that the "madness stops today" and asks travelers not to wear pajamas on their flights.

To be clear: the “ban” isn’t a ban. It’s a request from the airport for people to dress better. No one will be barred from entering the airport if they’re wearing sweatpants.

“Tampa International Airport regularly shares lighthearted, satirical social media content as part of our ongoing effort to engage with our followers. Today’s post about ‘banning’ pajamas was another playful nod to day-of-travel fashion debates,” the airport told The Independent. “We encourage our passengers to travel comfortably and appreciate our loyal followers who enjoy the online humor.”

It's no secret that air travel has become notably less comfortable over the past 40 years. Since the airlines were deregulated in 1978, seat space has gradually declined over time to allow airlines to squeeze more passengers onto aircraft.

According to Flyers Rights, a passenger advocacy organization, the average legroom or pitch has decreased from 35 to 31 inches, with the lowest pitch size being 29 inches. Cheap-seat carriers typically have legroom pitches at 29-30 inches. The width of legroom space has also declined to 16-18 inches.

In the 1990s, seat sizes increased for a short period to 18.5 inches from the standard 17 inches. Airline seats have since largely regressed to the 17 inch standard But airlines also used to fly at only 70 percent capacity, meaning there was often more room for passengers to spread out. Today they fly at 80 or 85 percent capacity, according to a CNN report.

Not only are travelers expected to endure more cramped compartments, but also more invasive searches at the airport. Travelers wait in long lines at security checkpoints, are subjected to full-body scans, and if any anomalies are found, may be forced to endure an intimate frisk from a federal employee.

If passengers must be groped to board a plane, they might as well be comfortable when it happens.

Back in November, the Transportation Department launched an initiative called "The Golden Age of Travel Starts With You," with the aim to "jumpstart a nationwide conversation around how we can all restore courtesy and class to air travel."

Alongside that initiative, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called on travelers to dress better at airports.

"Dress up to go to the airport, help a stranger out, and be in a good mood," he wrote on social media at the time.

U.S. Airlines stopped offering complimentary hot meals shortly after the 9/11 terror attacks. Costs for checked bags has inflated to help airlines rake in more revenue. Last year, US airlines alone made $7.27 billion from check-in baggage fees, according to federal data. That's an increase from $7 billion in 2023, and $5.76 billion in 2019.

Responses to the Tampa International Airport's post were mixed. Some X accounts — which may or may not be real people — supported the idea. One user, going by the name "ThoughtCrimes80" posted an image of women standing in sweat pants and hoodies at an airport and wrote "uh yeah, I've been saying this forever."

Others recommended the airport focus on making the customer experience better before asking people to dress nicer.

“My last two flights I spent the night on the dirty floor at Buffalo Intl Airport because of cancelled flights, with no compensation, we should be wearing pajamas, until the airlines crap service is improved!” user MarkJSchmit replied.

Even people in favor of banning pajamas noted that making air travel enjoyable again was going to take more than outlawing sweats.

"This is great, I am completely for this. Just dress decently. But I think we shouldn’t stop here, I think the airlines should start bringing the pleasure of traveling back to what it used to be. Like bring back actually feeding your travelers. Not even peanuts are given nowadays," X user CarlosCGascot wrote.

Attorney Howard Sklar was more concerned with the government telling people how to dress than he was the overall air travel experience.

"I mean…as a joke, this is kinda funny," he wrote on X. "But if it's real…the government telling people what they can and can't wear while traveling…can you say 'overreach' anyone?"

Not to worry, it’s apparently just a joke.