Comments

1. It’s not OK in my Book. Even if you on vacation keep your dam shoes on while on the plane. I saw this last week on a Delta flight in first class out of ATL.

2. Agree wholeheartedly. IMO socks aren’t any better. The only way you can get away with bare feet is with sandals…

3. Um…NO!

4. Bulkheads should be made out of razor blades.

5. What’s really interesting is when people in bare feet use a lavatory on an aircraft. That isn’t water on the floor, folks.

6. What exactly makes it not okay? Does it harm other passengers in any way?

   Air travel can be uncomfortable and with pressure changes and DVT not wanting to wear constrictive footwear is understandable.

   Provided someone’s feet don’t smell, I don’t see any harm. Feet are likely cleaner than the soles of shoes, anyway.

7. If they don’t smell and aren’t in area where people eat, ie on a table, then to each their own. Seems more like a personal dislike of feet rather than any particular reason.

8. It’s not like anyone is eating lunch off the bulkhead. As long as the feet are well groomed, or the socks are clean, I don’t care.

9. This comes up every year or so. There is NOTHING inherently unclean about feet. Your shoes are washed less than your feet are. If someones feet are not clean, they shouldn’t be put up anywhere, but the same can be said for their shoes, their hands, and their body in general. I don’t know why some people (not just you Gary) think that feet are magically things that are any dirtier or grosser than any other part of the body.

10. I don’t care at all. If you’re creeped out be feet, nothing can be said about that. But if you’re worried about it from a sanitary perspective, I think that bare feet should be so far down the list of concerns on an airplane as to not even register. Shoes are probably dirtier than bare feet anyway.

11. Bare feet should never be displayed on an airplane. Ever.

    I’ve seen people walk barefoot into airplane lavatories, and that’s really disgusting (for them).

12. SO nasty. i tweeted male feet on saturday. https://twitter.com/jonk/status/343436671993397248/photo/1

13. I once wore flip flops on a plane…. and it felt uncomfortable because I hid my well-maintained feet most of the flight. Something about it just ain’t right. But flip flops on a plane, firmly planted on the floor is one thing. This is just low class, and unacceptable in MJ’s book. The end.

14. I always bring slippers (the kind that they give you in hotels) on long flights. That way I can take my shoes off. I would never walk around in just socks and certainly not barefoot on a plane. When I see it I wonder what people are thinking?

15. Thought of you when I saw this exact same thing repeat on our flights back from Hawaii over the weekend. The lady had on flip flops, but took them out to relax her feet on the bulkhead in F. I can see why you would do it if you are tired and wore sandals/flip flops, but that doesn’t mean it is a smart idea.

16. Why the sex discrimination?

17. I see nothing wrong with this, provided that the feet are clean and do not smell bad.

    What exactly is the problem?

18. No smell – no foul! 🙂

19. Indeed – what makes it OK for one gender but not the other? Incredible that this would even be thinkable without the outrage meter pegging. Shame, shame.

    That said, I think it shows no class at all to be barefoot on a plane whatever your gender, but I see scummy people behaving badly on planes all the time. Flip-flops, bare midriffs, “wife beater” tank tops, the list goes on.

    People, you disgust me!!!

20. No! Grosses me out.

21. I don’t care just as long as they do not put where people eat or sleep, socks or sandals is fine.

22. Cefinitely a big no-no. I don’t care if you take your shoes off…but at least have some socks to slip into if you do. And feet do not belong on a bulkhead above the magazine rack.

23. I agree with @AM: no smell, no foul. I never take my shoes off as I don’t feel great about MY feet on the airplane floor or the lav floor. But when I travel with my son, his shoes are off within 2 seconds of taking his seat, then tucked up under him, and the only time they are back on is to hit the lav. No problemo.

    The only time I have a beef about feet (or shoes) on a plane is when the *#$%!@ behind me thinks it is okay to put his/her nasty feet on MY ARM REST. WTF?

24. I didn’t own my first pair of shoes until I started grade school (well I didn’t regularly wear shoes until I started grade school), so I have no problem with bare feet in general; however, they do not belong on walls, tables, chairs or anywhere except floors.

25. An airplane is not your home – keep those bare feet covered and off the bulkheads/armrests/etc.

26. Just saw the same rude behavior from a guy in 1st class on a United flight IAH-PHL this week. It is not a beach, dammit…

27. Yuck. It’s a medical fact that feet sweat more than most other parts of our bodies.

28. It’s gross. Keep your shoes on.

29. Horizontal feet: fine

    Vertical feet: no-no

    Regardless of gender. It’s a bulkhead issue.

30. Those appear to be cankles.

31. bare feet NOT OK

32. Yeah, wow, decorum, manners, class… Dying fast it seems.

    Wasn’t there once a concept of acceptable attire for things that involve leaving the house? And, like, the bulkhead is a *wall*. No feet on the wall.

    If I ruled the world, it would be required to wear closed-toe shoes while flying, no shorts except tropical-to-tropical flights, shoes may only be removed on flights over 3 hours or so. No gym clothes either.

    Which airline is it that has “no infant class”? Maybe they could implement a dress code for J and F. I think I might actually go out of my way to fly someone for that, especially if it’s a really over the top dress code. 🙂

33. There is a real DVT risk to cramped bulkhead seats. I don’t see an issue with sock covered, non-smelly feet.

    I do see an issue with DVT.

34. I alos agree that the gender bias is peculiar.

35. It’s not OK unless they’re female and stunning (which these aren’t). I make the decision about what passes muster.

36. No bare feet. If your on a long overseas flight you should apply foot powder and wear non-cotton socks to avoid smells. Then and only when sleeping should you be allowed to remove your shoes and no bare feet.

37. I don’t particularly like flying next to overweight people who encroach on my space, people who smell bad, people who sleep and snore, people who are eating food with an odor, etc, BUT, the fact is that you are essentially using public transportation, and therefore you have to deal with certain things that other people do that bother you.

    If you want to travel without other annoyances and by your own rules, then get your own plane. Otherwise, other people around you aren’t going to do exactly what you want, and you have to learn to live with that. There is no rule about shoes, so people can do as they please. If you don’t like it, ignore it. Taking pictures of someone else and posting it on a blog is more rude in my book.

38. As one who wears sandals to the office almost every day, I would have to disagree with the office part of your statement. But, on an airplane, if you want to put your feet up, you need to have clean socks on your feet if for no other reason than hygiene.

39. “Taking pictures of someone else and posting it on a blog is more rude in my book.”

    Not to mention the residuals. 😉

40. What gender bias? Point here is I corrected my gender bias, I started off with “no male toes” and wound up with “this woman’s feet really shouldn’t be doing this…” I am quite clear that it’s inappropriate for both men and women to put bare feet up on the bulkhead.

41. if it’s 3:00 a.m. upstairs in the Delta DTW-NRT 747 , you’re in your jammies and you wake up for a bottle of water or something out of the snack basket by the galley, don’t feel you have to pull on socks, or even the kit slippers. just go.

    hmmm speaking of go, i would suggest the undersized slippers for the head — but not because anyone might be looking.

    and, come to think of it, tevas or flip flops ought to be just fine for the run down to guam or saipan. c’mon. it’s the tropics.

42. Some kind of foot covering, anything … bare feet: inappropriate!

43. Feet are not like hands they are walking on the ground and assumed contaminated. Your feet have touched the floor and I don’t care if we just washed that floor it’s contaminated. That’s what the Food Safety Inspection Service says. They are the ones who keep your food safe to eat. Feet=dirty. Case closed

44. Those bare feet may have started out clean but probably walked on bare floor when their shoes were placed on the belt for the TSA screening. I made that mistake once and it just felt nasty. Now I always wear socks when I fly. And I take nylon slippers for long flights. I’ll wear them in my hotel room anyway.

45. Gross and tacky.

46. Ditto Tom. The feet on my arm rest, poking into my elbow is rude. And somewhat gross. I’m fine if you keep you stranger feet to yourself but would prefer if you didn’t accost my elbow with them, thanks!

47. The issue is WHERE the feet are, not whether they’re covered. Bulkheads, armrests, up in the air (how is putting your calf on my headrest comfortable) are unacceptable due to their location – in the shared environment. However, bare feet in your foot well… go ahead; that’s private space (as much as it exists).

    In an airplane I call private space anything below seat-cushion height. Stacks of readings, your suitcase out, shoes out, that’s all fine because I can not or can barely see it. Those things above seat height are in the public viewing area and that should be a zone of maximum politeness so we can all enjoy our ride as much as is possible.

    Gary, can you do an article on people who clip nails next, or the ones who paint their nails so we can all vent about that too?

48. I diffrentiate between naked feet and socks. Feet are not there to be seen. This does not lend lie to what should be obvious; naked feet and socks are quite similar in the germ department. Both might smell, be sweaty and both can absorb or shed germs.

49. I take off my shoes, but wouldn’t remove my socks. It has more to do with me being self-conscious about my feet.

    I don’t mind as long as other people’s feet don’t smell, but a problem may arise that other people are never really sure if their feet smell or not…

50. That woman’s feet are a replica of Godzillas!