Is it acceptable to travel in shorts and sandals?

If the Gold card owners have booked economy seats then that probably where they should be.

I have as well. Amusingly, once at boarding where I scanned in just in front of my boss and got a "ping" to tell me I had been upgraded. I started to wonder if I should offer the upgrade to him (it was only a couple of hours - from Germany to Egypt), but, luckily, as he scanned his boarding pass, he got the same "ping".

In terms of clothing, I fly business for anything long haul and, depending on the airline, they give you PJs (or "lounge wear") that they encourage you to wear.

@SadiraOfTyr

upgrade if you are smartly dressed is ludicrous: upgrades go to crew/employees first, followed by frequent flyers with gold status and so on down the list.

I wouldn't rely on that order for upgrades, certainly not with the airline the OP is flying with...

It wouldn't be a good look to move employees up and then leave Gold card holders crammed in economy....

😂😂 so funny. Isn’t it self service these days? No one cares what you are wearing.

The kind of flight you could get upgraded on is not asking anyone to check in bags at the gate.
Upgrades go to passengers with status or solo flyers that they need to move for operational purposes.
They aren’t upgrading a gang of women on a girls
holiday so wear want you want.

Linen? You'd look like a crumpled messy bag lady at the end of the flight.
I wear things that dont crease and have plenty of room to move in.

Upgrade will almost entirely driven by frequent flyer status, accrued points, etc.

Also without wishing to be alarmist @Fiftyandme makes a valid point re-clothing.

I’ve been upgraded several times on Lufthansa when they’ve overbooked economy.

But the idea that you’ve more chance of an upgrade if you are smartly dressed is ludicrous: upgrades go to crew/employees first, followed by frequent flyers with gold status and so on down the list.

They’re not going upgrade a whole group. It’ll be a solo traveller who is part of their loyalty scheme.

Flying is hellish, I always prioritise comfort over style.

I’m sure BA will happily take their money if they want to pay for an upgrade. On short haul routes they’ll just move the Club curtain back another row! It’s not exactly a game changer in terms of experience

What you wear will not affect upgrades - most are done by computers these days based on things like frequent flyer status and ticket type.

It’s not the 1970s. Wear whatever is comfortable.

The one and only time I got upgraded to first class, I was backpacking and really quite scruffy.

They check all bags, there is usually a very long walk, stairs, lugging your suitcases so bitkies are not that supportive plus the plane temperature on your feet can be colder. No one gets upgraded because they wear a silk blouse, in first class I saw someone in pj in the airport lounge. Linen is cool to wear but creases really badly, I'd wear a soft pair of trousers, with your sweatshirt or jumper, trainers, it's more sensible to wear or carry on heavier clothing and get more lighter clothes in your luggage,

TBH I get cold on the plane so I put my shorts and sandals in my rucksack and change in the loos at the airport when I land.

I thought dressing up for a flight was something people did decades ago.

The one upgrade I had was when I was wearing jeans & trainers.

Have they travelled before? A large group isn't going to get upgraded. If they do need to upgrade someone it will be a frequent flyer, not the person with the nicest linen trousers.

I personally would travel in shorts, but only mid length or just above knee. Shorts can look smart/put together.

Remember planes can sometimes be on the cooler side, sometimes you can get drafts, and also if a long flight skin on skin contact can get uncomfortable

We've flown with BA for the last few holidays out of terminal 5.

We checked ourselves in before we left home. We checked our bags in at the self-service bag drops. I don’t think there were even people manned check in desks. Just a couple of people floating around in case the self service options went wrong.

Even if there were people a silk trouser isnt going to swing an upgrade. Status in their frequent flyer programme might but its unlikely.

I don't know I got an upgrade to an exit row seat 😂

My husband often gets upgrades. It's very rare for a group, and he thinks much more likely if you already have status eith the airline, are already in the middle tier seats (eg premium economy ( and/or already have future flights booked too. He always dresses in the exact same thing - jeans and tshirt - so this seems to have no bearing. Yes he is a weirdo as I can think of nothing worse than travelling in jeans lol! I wouldn't fly in shorts though as planes can be cold and also seats on bare skin is not that comfy.

I don’t own any linen or silk trousers so I’d be very unpopular with your friends 😂

The only time I got an upgrade it was done before any of the airline staff had even seen me face to face so I don't think it's affected by what you were wearing!

Flying on a plane requires wearing cottons/natural fibres and decent shoes - if you need to exit the plane quickly or god forbid escape from a fire you’re not going to want to be wearing flimsy footwear or clothes that melt into your skin.