Barefoot On A Plane: Acceptable Or Gross?

Intro

It seems that every single day when I log online in the mornings, I either see an instagram reel, a blog post, or a Reddit post about how someone is complaining about bare feet being out on a plane. While this is a valid stance to have, I wanted to give my two cents on this, as it is not as black and white as some might see it...

My Personal Opinion

Roughly three years ago, I was flying from Tokyo Narita to Jakarta in business class when I looked across the aisle and saw this man with his bare feet up on the IFE screen in front of him. At the time, I was completely shocked, as my travel bug to remote countries hadn't kicked in yet.

However, over the course of the last few years, I have come to realize that it actually might be acceptable under certain circumstances.

• Culture. Probably the biggest thing I have realized is that in Asia and Africa, having your bare feet out on the plane is completely normal. The number of times I have sat next to someone with bare feet I couldn't even count on four hands...

Makes for some great real-time IFE 😅, such as my ET flight from Nossi Be

• I personally believe that in First or Business Class (private seats), you should be allowed to have bare feet out if nobody else can see. Occasionally, I will do this on longer flights so that my feet don't become sticky, but only when other passengers cannot see...

• Lastly, if someone has a medical disorder where wearing socks creates excessive moisture, and the flight is a long-haul flight. Even then, it is important to remain respectful and place your feet underneath the seat.

Why It Isn't Acceptable

Now, to take the counterargument, here are a few reasons why I would avoid going barefoot on a plane:

• On a personal note, it is honestly much cleaner for yourself if you were to wear slippers or socks on a plane. Yes, your little toes don't get to breathe, but it's better than developing diseases or having any health issues...

• It is also highly disrespectful to passengers to showcase bare feet. So, while I might have added above that Business/First Class passengers in private seats are fine, if you are cramped into a row of three in economy, it's probably not the best idea to be barefoot.

When you are flying in certain parts of the world, you just gotta suck it up sometimes...

But now here is where it gets tricky for me:

What happens if someone from Mali is traveling in the United States on a Domestic flight (as an example), and they are more than comfortable taking off their shoes and socks? Do we as a society have the right to speak up? My opinion is no, as that is their lives and how some people live (a lot of people I have met in Africa walk around barefoot frequently), but I am sure some others might not agree.

What do you think?

Final Thoughts

There has been a drawn-out debate for quite some time about whether or not it is acceptable for people to be barefoot on a plane. While my general outlook is no, I think it can depend on where you are traveling in the world, and sadly, whether or not you are in business class. I would never dare to take my socks off in economy due to the people that aren't a fan of it, but occasionally I will if I have a private seat in business class.