Plane travel can be easy and convenient, but flying also presents potential hassles, particularly if other travelers are not cooperating.
In recent years, we’ve seen more than a few examples of people practicing poor plane etiquette going viral. On Saturday, a Delta Air Lines’ passenger’s less than sanitary actions began trending.
In a post on Reddit’s Delta forum titled “Staying classy in business class,” a man can be seen using his bare foot to work the touch screen at his first class seat.
Listen. we get wanting to be comfortable on a flight, but this is ridiculous.
Commenters were outraged
Not surprisingly, the unknown man got taken to the woodshed by Redditors in the thread under that photo.
“The next customer is so going to touch that with their hands. Ew!” one person wrote.
“FAss really should have wooden rulers as part of their toolset. Feet on display? Smack!” another person said.
“Y’all are nasty,” said a third.
“The FA should be saying something though right?” a fourth person added.
Another heads up Redditor noted that the person in the picture appears to be in violation of Delta’s Contract of Carriage, which says the airline can remove a passenger under certain circumstances, including when they are barefoot.
It’s unclear if that happened in his situation. Gary Leff from View from the Wing has also compiled a list of similar circumstances on recent flights from Delta and other companies.
What not to do on a plane
Plane etiquette may vary depending on your sources, but almost every expert is in agreement that you have to be mindful of your feet while in the air.
“Lots of people like to kick off their shoes on flights, especially long ones where you’ll be sleeping,” wrote Men’s Journal’s Lilit Marcus in 2017. “Perhaps this is a good occasion to buy some new socks? The last thing you want is to accidentally stink up a plane, since it’s not like anybody can open a window to bring in some fresh air. If you’re willing to go a step further, consider putting them on in the bathroom before you board your plane. Another thing you can do is dust your soles with a little baby powder to mask any smell.”
Marcus also mentioned in a later part of that post that the plane isn’t your living room, so maybe passengers might also want to take that into account when thinking about taking their shoes off.
