In this series, Stuff Travel covers some of the biggest discussions of flying etiquette.
You probably spent your childhood in Gisborne, where kids went barefoot everywhere, so there’s nothing wrong with taking your shoes off on flights.
People who fly barefoot often confuse the internet when images of naked Tootsie are shared. Especially if you’re encroaching on your seatmate’s territory or blocking aisles, as is the case in these cases. Or you are cutting your toenails or polishing your heels.
A recent TikTok video of a barefoot passenger closing window shades received more than 25,000 comments, many of which were amused, perplexed, or outright disgusted.
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read more:
* Travel etiquette: Should you bribe a flight attendant with chocolate?
* Flight Etiquette: Should I wake the snoring passenger next to me?
* Travel etiquette: how to avoid messing around in airport baggage claim
“Put away the grippers!!” wrote one.
“We need to start a petition to learn airplane manners!!!!” said another.
Eric Olvera/Twitter
People who fly barefoot often confuse the Internet when barefoot photos are shared, especially when they encroach on the territory of their fellow passengers.
picture of twitter A photo of a woman using her bare toes to choose what she sees on the screen in her seatback has caused the outrage of nearly everyone, with poster Eric Olvera saying he’s “flying a lot and this is what I’m doing right now”. It’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen on an airplane.”
A video shared on the Instagram handle of a passenger painting her toenails and peeling dead skin off her heels sparked disgrace among passengers, most of whom blamed her for her actions.
“Turn the plane around. It’s an arrestable crime,” one person said of a passenger filing heels.
“All the dust on your heels is circulating,” noted another.
But what if you just put your unshod shoes on the floor in front of your seat and do nothing that might blow off the cells in your feet?
The answer depends on whether you wear socks or not. In his 2017 British Airways survey of her 1,500 travelers from the UK, US, France and Germany, 59% of respondents said they were okay with taking their shoes off on flights. I answered. However, only 13% of her said bare feet were acceptable. Interestingly, three-quarters of his Italians, coming from the land of Prada pumps and Gucci loafers, considered it unacceptable to take off their shoes.
I wonder how the results would have been different had New Zealanders been included in the study. Walking barefoot is a long-standing Kiwi tradition.
On short flights you rarely need to take your shoes off, but on longer flights it’s a different story. It’s hard enough to get comfortable in an economy class can of sardines without feeling constrained, especially if your feet are starting to swell.
When you’re wrapped in blankets and trying to close your eyes even a little, removing your shoes can help you imagine that you’re actually in a place to sleep. Like business class and beds. In fact, some airlines actively encourage passengers to wear socks and remove their shoes.
Both Air New Zealand and Jetstar require passengers to wear footwear when boarding and disembarking, but both websites explicitly state that footwear cannot be removed onboard. not.
That said, Queenstown musician Petty Seiuri stepped off an Air New Zealand flight in 2011 in a wheelchair after being told bare feet were a safety hazard.
His connecting flight was postponed while trying to buy a jandal at the Christchurch terminal, but he couldn’t find one big enough, so he wheeled back to the plane and got off again in Wellington.
Air New Zealand and Jetstar were unable to answer staff questions about shoe rules before the deadline.
Of course, just because you can take off your shoes doesn’t necessarily mean you should.
Footwear encroaching into the aisles can be a safety hazard, especially during an emergency evacuation, and walking barefoot around the cabin is probably unsanitary.
In New Zealand, like many other countries, aircraft cleaning is not regulated, so airlines set their own standards and protocols. However, this process is more superficial between flights. After a quick wipe and a spray of disinfectant, your bathroom may look clean, but it can harbor fungi and bacteria.
Similarly, flight attendants clean up spills on carpets when they occur or are noticed, but do not thoroughly clean the carpets on every flight.
As the flight progresses, the cabin becomes more and more unsanitary. An increasing number of passengers leave dirty gloves and shoes on surfaces that can wet bathroom floors. Note that the floor liquid may or may not be water. I’m not going to point out the gender here, but I think any bumps in flight might defeat the purpose.
In my opinion, the best thing to do is to follow the rules, keep your shoes on during boarding and disembarking, respect other passengers, and only remove your shoes if you are sure that neither your shoes nor your feet can be lifted. stink. It’s 23 degrees Celsius while I’m typing and it’s sweltering underfoot, so taking off my shoes and socks in this situation is unacceptable. At least without a fast-acting deodorant.
It may be best to keep your socks on. An added bonus is that it offers some protection from floor germs.
Be careful not to step into your seatmate’s space or aisle, or step under the seat in front of you and kiss the person sitting there. Also, if you need to get up for any reason, put your shoes back on. Ideally, airlines would take a cue from the Japanese and keep slippers for restroom use only near the door to reduce the chances of passengers spreading germs on board.
Just a barefoot fan’s opinion. You are?
Should I take off my shoes/socks during the flight? Let us know in the comments.
