When taking a plane, it can be difficult to tread the fine line between relaxing and remaining polite to other passengers but at least tread that line with your shoes and socks on, is the message to be taken from one flyer’s experience on board a Singapore Airlines flight.
In an online thread about the high end carrier, Reddit user PepperLunchies posted a photograph about a breach of flight etiquette that has made many people’s toes curl. The person sitting next to them had removed his socks and shoes and was sitting cross legged, with the sole of his left foot bared towards his neighbour and his toe hooked around the seat in front.
“Just wondering, if a passenger is rude next to you, like this example here. Can I request to change seats or get him to put on his stupid shoes?” the Reddit user asked the online community, adding: “He was like [that] throughout the flight except for meal times at which he kept asking for whisky and only after confirming that it was a Johnny Walker red label….. for the life of me. Why did I have to put next to this heathen?”
Rude passenger on SQ flight
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While opinions on how to manage the situation varied, nearly all commenters found the barefoot flyer’s behaviour unacceptable. Some pushed for a physical response, advising the complainant to “accidentally” spill a drink, drop something, or tread on the neighbour’s feet. Others took a more humorous view, telling PepperLunchies to ““Suck his toes when he’s asleep.”
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Many advocated simply asking the man nicely to stop baring his feet, while others went for a more passive aggressive course of action. “If you area really mad about it and need to seek some semblance of peace, maybe create an anonymous social media post with his face on it.”
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It’s not the first time that bare feet have caused revulsion in the skies. Just one month ago in mid-February 2025, content creator Cam Casey posted an image of the stretched out feet belonging to the passenger behind him as they poked out from under his own seat in just a pair of flipflops. He took matters into his own hands and deliberately spilled water on them, at which point they were retracted.
Aviation experts agree with the general public that bare feet on planes are not a good idea, for safety and hygiene reasons. Aircraft floors are not always clean places, crew members have pointed out, and being barefoot in case of an emergency landing or other unexpected incident is ill-advised. Many airlines’ terms and conditions do not allow passengers to travel without wearing proper footwear, including American, Delta, JetBlue, Spirit, and Southwest.
