'Rude': Man Disgusts Plane by Putting His Bare Feet on Passenger's Seat

A woman was horrified to find the man sat behind her on a plane took off his shoes and promptly put his feet on her arm rest, with his toes touching the seat in front.

Angie posted a stomach-churning photo from the flight to Reddit, under username Bobal0ver, which she simply captioned: "This guy on my plane."

It shows a man's bare foot poking through the gap in the seats, just inches away from a paying customer.

Angie told Newsweek: "I put my armrest up and ignored him and smiled to myself. They kept their foot there for maybe 5-10 minutes?

Photo of foot on plane seat.
Photo of foot on plane seat. A woman was horrified when the man behind out his foot through the gap in her seat. u/bobal0ver

"I thought it was rude and the total opposite of manners. That's why your parents tell you to keep your legs down at the dinner table. Not up!"

Angie, whose profile indicates she's based in the Pacific Time Zone, described the man as in his "40s," as she explained the flight time was around six hours.

The post, shared to Reddit's Mildly Infuriating forum on Monday, amassed hundreds of upvotes, and can be read here, as Angie went into more detail about the unwelcome intrusion.

She added: "Well he was the cause of the situation in the first place. All actions have consequences. If he would've hit back I'd simply say that he didn't pay for a footrest and therefore has no right to be putting his foot anywhere near my seat ...

"Don't worry you guys. I lifted the armrest up and stomped on his foot when he slipped it under my chair."

Numerous people shared their own suggestions in the comments, as Sskl27 wrote: "I was going to suggest pinch him or tickle him but what you did was also good."

Chrisinsocalif advised: "I would pour water on their foot." ColdnipsHotcheeks thought: "Or sneezing is always good."

Valuable_Issue_6698 asked: "What's with people being so loose with their feet? In my day people were embarrassed of their feet."

Solid_Satyr raged: "F****** disgusting and disrespectful, sounds like someone needs to get the air crew involved as this s*** is unhygienic."

Similarity, Bluecollarbeard85 wrote: "I can't believe people have the audacity to do s*** like this."

PeanutButterRum commented: "I was thinking of putting pink nail polish on him," while Stefant4 joked: "Next time I'm flying I'm bringing a bottle of nail polish for this reason."

While it's not apparent which airline Angie flew with, some state that wearing shoes is a requirement for transport.

American Airlines' website says passengers should: "Dress appropriately; bare feet or offensive clothing aren't allowed."

Delta also states shoes are a requirement, writing: "Delta may refuse to transport or may remove passengers from its aircraft in any of the following situations: When the passenger is barefoot."

United Airlines also states: "UA shall have the right to refuse transport on a permanent or temporary basis or shall have the right to remove from the aircraft at any point, any Passenger for the following reasons: Passengers who are barefoot, not properly clothed, or whose clothing is lewd, obscene or offensive."

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Rebecca Flood is Newsweek's Audience Editor (Trends) and joined in 2021 as a senior reporter.

Rebecca specializes in lifestyle and viral ... Read more

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go