Nudist travelers ready for takeoff
By INA PAIVA CORDLE MIAMI HERALD

Clothes on the Cancún flight will come off at cruising altitude. Miami passengers on a flight to Cancún won't be fretting about dressing comfortably. In fact, they won't be dressed at all.

A Houston travel agency specializing in clothing-optional vacations is organizing the outing, which it claims is the first nude flight.

But no hanky-panky, please.

''Inappropriate behavior is not condoned,'' said James Bailey, who owns Castaways Travel with his wife, Donna Daniels. ``This is not a Mile High Club, not a bunch of groupies or anything. It's just a fun flight.''

Castaways has chartered a Boeing 727 for up to 170 passengers, scheduled to take off May 3 and return May 10. But those onboard probably won't have much luggage.

Many will be going to the El Dorado Resort & Spa, whose 175 rooms have been leased for a nudist vacation. More than half the seats on the flight and rooms in the resort have already been booked, said Bailey, who will enjoy the trip with his wife.

The flight's crew will be professionally dressed, and passengers will be required to be attired for check-in and takeoff.

Once they reach a cruising altitude, they can disrobe, Bailey said. Each will be given an embroidered beach towel to sit on.

''Nude etiquette always requests you take a towel -- you always have a towel between you and the seat,'' he said.

Since planes are often cold, the crew will regulate the temperature for comfort. And no steaming beverages or hot foods will be served -- to avoid any painful spills.

Castaways is charging $499 round-trip for the flight, including all taxes. Bailey would not disclose the charter operator, citing concerns about passengers' privacy. Castaways is using the moniker ''Naked-Air'' to market the flight.

Robert Conser, vice president for sales and marketing for Miami Air, confirmed that the charter carrier had been approached. But he would not confirm that his crew is flying the plane.

Bailey, who has been in the travel agency business since 1984, got into the nudist market about 12 years ago. Now he books 30 to 50 nudist groups annually.

And the future may bring more nude flights -- if this one is a success.

''People are looking for stress relief,'' he said. ``In a nudist environment, everyone is the same. There's no culture shock, no hierarchy of social strata, no caste system. Everyone is on the same wavelength.''

The Federal Aviation Administration is taking a hands-off approach.

''We have no regulations pertaining to nudity on board an aircraft,'' said spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen. ``It's not a safety issue.''