Why You Should Think Twice Before Taking Your Shoes Off On A Flight

By all means, when you board an airplane for a long-haul flight, please make yourself comfy. Throw on a cozy sweater, put on that neck pillow, wrap yourself up in those complimentary blankets, and binge-watch every episode of your favorite television series. But should you take off your shoes? What's more, should you take off your socks and go barefoot? When you come home after a long day, there's nothing better than kicking off your shoes, but the airplane isn't your home, and there are a plethora of reasons why taking off your shoes mid-flight could not only raise the ire of your fellow passengers, but put you in danger.

LadBible reported on an anonymous British Airways flight attendant who told the outlet Ocean Florida that, "While cabins are cleaned before every flight, there's rarely enough time to disinfect and deep clean floors and bathrooms. We'd never advise moving throughout the aircraft barefoot or just wearing socks – you never know what you might be walking on – especially in the bathroom." 

Let's not forget about the risks in case of an emergency. Air disaster author Christine Negroni told The Sun, "If you escape an aircraft, the floor could be very hot or cold, it might be covered in oil or on fire, or in a cornfield." Protect your tired ol' soles and keep the shoes on, especially during take-off and landing.

It's not just the safety and bacterial concerns that come with taking off your shoes mid-flight; it's also the "ick" factor of going foot-commando. The Sydney Morning Herald reported on a 2017 British Airways survey that found only 13% of 1,500 respondents said going barefoot is okay. That low percentage is likely due to what barefoot-and-fancy-free flyers seem to do with their stinky toes. This viral tweet depicting a barefoot flyer using their toes to access their in-flight entertainment on the seat back is a prime example. The poster Erik Olvera tweeted, "I fly a lot and this, by far, is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen on a plane."

The New York Post reported on a viral TikTok where the poster took a video of the person behind her putting their bare toes on her armrest, captioning it, "I had no idea what nightmares could be made of." In 2017, Inside Edition spoke to passenger Jessie Char, whose picture of the person sitting behind her putting both feet on either armrest in her row went viral. She told the outlet the person even used their toes to open and close the window shutter. Just ... no. Jesus wept. No one needs to see this, fam! Put your tender tootsies back in your socks! Don't be that person.