Travelers who pine for the days when air travel was a luxury that required passengers to dress up for the occasion have obviously never been on a long-haul flight in coach in a tight dress and nylons. The popularization of air travel may mean that we’ve lost gourmet dinners served on silver platters, amazing customer service, and a considerable amount of legroom, but it’s also brought us the wonderful coziness of sweatpants.
Photo: Vytautas Kielaitis/Shutterstock + Roots/Facebook
The Comfiest Flight Ever Is Flying Today in Honor of International Sweatpants Day
To honor the joys of flying in comfortable, shapeless clothes, Canadian giants Roots and Air Canada have paired up to celebrate International Sweatpants Day in a big way. Lucky passengers onboard Air Canada’s longest flight — a whopping 16.5-hour journey from Vancouver to Melbourne — have been surprised with pairs of Roots’s signature sweatpants, matching hoodies, and even a leather passport holder. They are undoubtedly the comfiest group of passengers in the air and likely the largest group of celebrators ringing in International Sweatpants Day: January 21 comes to Australia first, after all.
Roots clothing is especially popular in Canada, and it’s also their commitment to comfiness that makes their products so appealing for cabin and city cross-functionality. The cute beaver logo probably helps, too.
What International Sweatpants Day truly celebrates is the joy of being comfortable in every way, and that philosophy is at the heart of this campaign. “We believe that wherever your journey takes you, travel in comfort and style,” said Karen Zuccala, Roots Vice President of Marketing. Air travel can be a stressful time for many travelers, especially those with flight anxiety, and physical comfort can make a huge difference in remaining calm.
One of the perks of business class on many airlines’ long-haul flights is something of a secret: Free jammies, socks, and even slippers are given out to passengers, allowing them to achieve maximum comfort. With every passenger decked out in comfy sweats, this Air Canada flight may be the first of its kind in terms of comfort equity between the classes.
For those Canadians who don’t happen to be en route to Melbourne while decked out in comfy clothes today, they can enter the Roots x Air Canada contest. Winners can get prizes like two Air Canada round-trip airfares to any destination in Canada or two sets of Roots sweats. It’s only open until January 25, so get on that. 