Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy launches "be nice" airline civility campaign after years as Fox partisan attack host

Transportation Secretary SDSean Duffy launched a 'Golden Age of Travel' civility campaign on Nov. 20, 2025, asking passengers to 'dress up, help a stranger out, and be in a good mood' during holiday travel. The DOT campaign asks travelers to help pregnant women with bags, dress with respect, thank flight attendants, and restore 'courtesy and class to air travel.' Duffy told Fox News 'people dress up like they're going to bed when they fly' and should 'go back to an era where we didn't wear our pajamas to the airport.'

Duffy spent 2020-2024 as Fox Business host and Fox News contributor serving as 'one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable television.' During the October 2025 government shutdown, Duffy shared viral 'FAFO' (f--- around and find out) memes on social media targeting Democrats. On Nov. 15, 2025, he called former Transportation Secretary PBPete Buttigieg 'no-show Pete' who 'spent $80 billion on DEI and climate change' and 'focused on pronouns at the FAA' instead of aviation safety.

The civility campaign cites a 400% increase in unruly passenger incidents since 2019. The FAA recorded 13,800 incidents involving disruptive passengers since 2021. Nearly one in five flight attendants reported experiencing physical incidents in 2021. Duffy said in Fox Business interviews 'you have brawls at the baggage claim' and 'passengers berating gate agents' along with 'unruly passengers on airplanes.'

During the 43-day government shutdown (the longest in US history), Duffy threatened to fire ATair traffic controllers who missed work, questioning their 'patriotism' and 'dedication.' He said Nov. 11, 2025: 'If we have some on our staff that aren't dedicated like we need, we're going to let them go. I can't have people not showing up for work.' Trump posted that controllers who missed work would be 'substantially docked' and have 'a negative mark, at least in my mind, against your record.'

ATAir traffic controllers worked without pay for 43 days during the shutdown. The FAA gave $10,000 bonuses to 776 controllers who maintained perfect attendance during the unpaid period. Controllers faced financial stress while required to work—those who called in sick faced threats of termination and pay docking. Duffy's civility campaign asking travelers to 'be nice' came while he simultaneously attacked workers and opponents.

Duffy was confirmed 77-22 on Jan. 28, 2025, with 23 Democrats voting for him. As congressman from 🧀Wisconsin (2011-2019), he appeared on CNN defending Trump's Ukraine quid pro quo and was rebuked by CNN's Jeffrey Toobin for 'anti-immigrant bigotry' after describing whistleblower Alexander Vindman as loyal to Ukraine. After leaving Congress, Duffy lobbied for Enterprise Products and the Partnership for Fair and Open Skies until joining Fox full-time.

The civility campaign video features Frank Sinatra's 'Come Fly With Me' over images of well-dressed travelers from past decades. Duffy poses five questions including 'Are you helping a pregnant woman put her bag in the overhead bin?' and 'Are you saying thank you to your flight attendants and pilots?' The campaign's premise is that travelers' personal behavior—not systemic issues like staffing shortages or airline policies—causes aviation problems.