Oh, there's a fairly established market of fursuit cleaner/fragrances that are a mixture of alcohol and scent. Some of them smell really nice (think Bath & Body Works, not high class perfume). There's also been a lot more attention given in the past decade or so to making washable suits. You'll definitely get people who smell like an anime convention, but at this point it's by choice and not because suits are uncleanable. But if someone is taking normal care of their fursuit you should only be able to smell it if you're actually wearing the head, which is a pain to clean.
For real, fursuits are basically heat traps and the air in airplanes isn't exactly the best. Not to mention no access to showers in the plane (frequent showers are a must if you wear a costume) makes it even worse
My wife's good friend came out recently as a furry, and while she's a really cool person, I cringe over some of her social media posts involving the fur suit. I'm just astonished that she'd post that where her poor grandma is going go see it. They're certainly a proud people.
It’s my understanding it’s not inherently sexual, is it? I mean I know that’s what we see a lot of online but I didn’t think they were all horny about it. So for some portion is just kinda like LARPing?
Most people pack an extra suitcase just for the fursuit. Some people have fancy custom foam cutouts to hold them in place to make sure they aren't damaged during travel, but chucking it in there with some padding will usually do the job.
Back when I used to party I knew a guy that would take a school bus converted into a ball pit across the Canada-US border to Burning Man. Imagine that search. He said it usually took 24 hours to get across. I don't know why they let him through tbh, I'd just nope him right back to Canada.
I don't quite understand this point of view. I'd be much more likely to nope out of a plane if I saw a Dixie flag and a group of guys like me muttering to themselves..
May it cause nightmares? Perhaps, but I'd feel safe and cozy in this plane..