A Reddit thread exploded after one user expressed their disdain following an incident regarding dirty feet on their flight. Although they didn’t say much, the user named ErmineofMight posted the image to the thread with the title “I absolutely hate when people do this.”
The user captured a photo of another passenger onboard their flight resting their bare foot on the tray table. Many users chimed in, some even adding off-guard photos they’d captured of other passengers exercising their free feet rights while flying.
The image has called into question what exactly is proper plane etiquette while flying. While some people agree with the Reddit users, others are left wondering if folks are making the airplane foot bandit a bigger deal than it is.
Dusty Feet Please Don’t Bother Me
Believe it or not, resting bare feet on tray tables isn’t uncommon. Following the initial post, many Reddit users said they too had experienced feet bandits on planes. One user questioned why they didn’t take action after seeing the exposed feet on the table.
“Why would you just sit there and allow this to happen? I would be going tf off on them,” they said.
In an interview with Newsweek, Luka said he didn’t want to go through the hassle of speaking up about the incident.
“Regrettably, I didn’t speak up just because even if it was gross misconduct, flight attendants did pass by and didn’t do anything about it,” said Luka. “I figured it wasn’t worth addressing at that point.”
With over 36,000 upvotes and 4,000 comments, folks had plenty to say about Luka’s in-flight experience. One user who’d experienced something similar described how their little sister colored one man’s foot after he stuck it through the armrest to take a nap.
“He was not happy when he woke up and saw his feet with rainbow-painted toenails and around 2 dozen tiny girly doodles of unicorns flowers and anything else they could think of,” they said.
Another Reddit user said these unsanitary misbehaviors cause him to be extra cautious of germs while traveling.
“This is why I’ve always traveled with Lysol wipes,” the user said. “Gives me peace of mind to thoroughly wipe down everything I’m going to be in prolonged contact with before I even sit down.”
What Exactly Is Proper Plane Etiquette?
With all of this chatter about feet, airplanes, and respect, travelers are questioning what exactly is proper airplane etiquette. In 2021, a flight attendant went viral on TikTok after describing the five things you shouldn’t do while flying on a plane.
His list included things like not touching the flush button in plane bathrooms with bare hands, not leaning your head on dirty plane windows, and not wearing shorts. However, some travelers believe bare feet on planes need to be added to the No Fly list. Luka said he didn’t expect so many people to have had similar experiences.
“I wasn’t expecting it to blow up like this,” he told Newsweek. “I had a good laugh about it with colleagues the next day, and they say she deserves the flack.”
Some folks weren’t so quick to run to Luka’s side. A few even pointed out that he too had his shoes off on the flight and his feet could be seen in his image.
“You also have your shoes off and up on your seat. But at least it’s on YOUR seat and no one’s next to you,” read one reply. “But BOTH OF YOU need to put your damn shoes on.”
Regardless, Luka’s feet-on-a-plane fiasco struck up an important conversation about respecting other passengers while traveling. Either way, the Reddit user is sticking with his perspective that the feet on the tray table were too much.
“True, but at least I actually tried to stay in my own seat,” he wrote. “I would never in my right mind put my gross bare feet on a tray table where people eat.”
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