A man was left baffled when he felt something poking him on a plane, but was gobsmacked by what was causing the prodding. He shared a picture on social media to ask what people would do
For many, flying can be an anxiety-inducing ordeal.
While the thrill of embarking on a new adventure is undeniable, the prospect of being confined to the same seat for an extended period can be daunting. One factor that can exacerbate this discomfort during travel is when fellow plane passengers fail to respect personal boundaries.
A man recently endured such a predicament on a flight. As he sat serenely in his window seat, he became aware of something “poking” his elbow.
Upon turning to investigate the source of the disturbance, he was astonished by what he discovered. Perplexed, he shared the ordeal with the online community on Reddit, seeking opinions on how to handle the situation.
He recounted: “You’re on a plane. Sitting at window seat. Suddenly your left elbow is poked by something hard and warm. You turn to see this. What do you do?”
The accompanying image revealed the root cause of his discomfort – a foot lodged near his armrest, protruding far enough to touch him repeatedly. The situation was worsened by the fact that the passenger had removed their shoes, resulting in direct contact between their bare feet and the man’s arm.
The image prompted heated discussion after being circulated on social media. One individual, identifying as an air steward, commented: “I am an air steward and, trust me guys, people sit in all possible weirdest ways in a aircraft regardless how less leg room they have. And the audacity to remove the shoes with their smelly stockings, or feet exposing around is pleaseeeee, disgusting man.”
Another disgruntled passenger suggested: “Ask the flight attendant to politely ask the person behind you to sit properly and act like a human – not a chimp.”
Echoing the sentiment, a third shared their own experience, writing: “Ah, this reminds me of what I did. It wasn’t a window seat though, but same thing. I felt the toenail was poking through. She was wearing socks though.
“I even looked back and stared down hoping she would get the message, but the audacity of this where the foot goes further front a bit. So I lifted the armrest and immediately looked back – it was somewhat satisfying to see she stumbled because her feet fell to the floor, and never took the armrest down through the flight.”
Meanwhile, another inquisitive commenter wrote: “Why the heck do these people like to open their shoes while on a fully air-conditioned place? The smell travels you know.”
Should you take off your shoes on a plane?
While it may not be written in stone, it’s widely regarded as discourteous to remove your shoes during a flight. Keeping shoes firmly on is expected, unless there’s a compelling health-related reason behind the removal.
Doing so prevents potential infections from walking barefoot, avoids discomfort for others aboard and sidesteps the issue of later struggling to slip them back on if any in-flight foot swelling occurs.
