Bare Foot Passenger Uses Someone Else’s Tray Table As Footrest

A passenger photographed evidence of one of the worst behaviors possible on an aircraft. It started with their seatmate’s bare feet. But the man didn’t leave hit feet on the ground, he decided to use the woman’s tray table as a foot rest and go to sleep. That made her tray table unusable, and meant his feet were in her face for the flight.

Whether this originates with the person tweeting or not, let’s dive in.

Reportedly the flight attendant’s solution for the passenger was to suggest she tickle his feet. That seems like a very bad idea.

  • It’s gross
  • And likely to lead to conflict, the result of startling him with physical contact
  • It shouldn’t be her responsibility

The correct answer, I think, would be to have the flight attendant standing in the aisle at your row while you move the tray table. That will wake the passenger, and the crewmember can insist the foot intruder stow his paws underneath the seat in front of him.

Bare feet on a plane are bad enough (imagine walking into the lavatory that way). Bare feet on the tray table is next level. What would you do?

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. Gotta wonder if this was staged. But the fact that it is plausible is telling.

  2. This is not a SW plane in the first place. Seats are not SW and the tray tables are not bi-fold on our planes. Also, we do not fly from DFW either. Wrong and Wrong

  3. Definitely someone was trying to get some publicity at Southwest’s expense and you just made their day. Like others have said, that’s clearly not a Southwest plane, if anything, by looking at the seats it could be Lufthansa.

  4. These are the same people who clip finger, and toe nails, and change diapers at their seats. There is no common sense or good judgement with the flying public. Even worse, is that passengers sit there and accept it as normal behavior.

  5. That is a not a SW plane nor any US Airline. Thats a BS tweet from that lady. You can tell this dude is her companion. He would have gotten his ass kicked otherwise. They both are sleeping and someone else is taking pictures lol

  6. Once had a Jacka$$ sitting behind me in steerage on a long-haul flight place his bare feet on my armrest. Always carry an ink pen for such emergencies!

  7. This not being a Southwest plane is why I wrote “Whether this originates with the person tweeting or not, let’s dive in.”

  8. I’m going to take it for other’s word that this was staged, but if it were real, and it were me and I had my wish, the guy would be limping through the airport after the flight. A pencil or pen to the arch of the foot creates a small, but painful and lasting injury. No, I wouldn’t do it in real life, but I’d really, really want to.

    The link now appears to be dead.

  9. and now the tweet has been deleted …. Gary — time to pull your ‘story’ .. this is probably all fake …

  10. Americans are such low class people. I guess we should be happy he at least had pants on.
    I’ve seen too many fat american women who think they have a right to walk around in yoga pants, fat folds and all.

  11. He would have gotten his foot slammed in the tray table if he was sitting next to me. I have no tolerance for people who have no basic manners.

  12. Don’t want to put my foot in my mouth… 🙂 … but someone should have “toed” them not to do that. because it’s “toetally” unacceptable.

    I think his name was “Toeny” ?

    That poor person wouldn’t be able to eat his “burritoe” with “toefu” and “toematoes”

    But at least they were only going to Phoenix, and not “Toekyo”

    Perhaps the aircraft designers can produce a “protoetype” seat plan that would prevent this.

  13. I agree this is fake but the FA left off the real solution: pour hot coffee on his crotch.

  14. Gary, please remove this non-story or amend it to make it clear from the top that it is fake. As it stands now, it’s just insulting and disrespectful to your readers.

  15. Interior looks like a 777 design of BA.

    There is just no way this isn’t staged.

  16. @JSTravels. So, just how long did you spend working on that comment 🙂

  17. Why is this even a story? Some idiot puts anything at all on my tray table, it wouldn’t last 30 seconds. “Get your feet off my tray table”. End of incident. An adult shouldn’t have to call an FA to ‘help.

Comments are closed.