When you fly, keep your shoes on! It has nothing to do with good manners. It has to do with germs, safety and being the passenger everyone is talking about behind your back.
On long flights people do strange things. Some take off their coats. Some get comfortable and curl up as if they were at home. Others take their shoes off right after the seatbelt sign gets turned off. That seems so innocent, right! You can kick back, relax and be more comfortable.
A former flight attendant by the name of Yepes explained to me that flight attendants do not recommend that you take your shoes off during flight, and that is not just a random rule. This is because of hygiene. Consider that every day hundreds of people get on a plane, and the cleaning crew has about 10 minutes to clean the plane before the next group of passengers boards. 10 minutes is barely enough time to remove visible trash and crumbs, which means that while the cabin may look clean, it has not been disinfected at a microscopic level. When you are sitting in an aircraft, think about how “clean” the floor under your seat or the carpeting in the aisle really is!
Walking either barefoot or in socks when an airplane lavatory is just basically dead space . The lavatory floor could probably be one of the un-cleanliest places on an airplane. The floors may look like they have water on them, but they probably don’t.
He told me based on his experience working at cleaning aircraft facilities that you should never enter an airplane lavatory without shoes . Not once! When you put your feet back into your shoes after being barefoot, who knows the germs you have brought back with you.
You must also have courtesy for others who are also sharing the airplane cabin. It would not be very pleasant for someone who has removed their shoes to have to worry that people sitting next to them are going to smell whatever they are. And you don’t have anywhere else to go to escape that person/people because you’re all in the same pressurized tube in the air.
Even if they do not stink at all people can feel troubled by seeing bare feet in close quarters on other passengers in an airplane, which is not listed in any aviation laws but in our society can go against proper social norms.
If an emergency were to arise causing you to leave the aircraft quickly; every second counts. If your shoes are off and not easily accessible, you have created an obstacle in the way of your escape. Many of the times that an aircraft is forced to be evacuated, there may be debris and/or sharp objects on the ground that will cause injury to someone going barefooted. It is therefore important for each of us to have proper shoes on during flight for both comfort, but also to have them for our protection.
Passengers that are not wearing shoes will slow down the process of evacuating the airplane if there was an emergency situation. When your body is producing high levels of adrenaline and there is someone screaming instructions at you; the last thing you want to do complicate your exit by hunting down your sneakers.
Some travelers may say that they take their shoes off, but then just loosen them up so they have some comfortable shoe to put on after taking off their shoes; that is probably the best choice.
Finally, wash your hands after visiting the restroom or after touching an object such as a door handle or faucet. Restrooms and frequent touching of objects are places that you can easily contract bacteria.
Yes, it may feel comfortable to remove your shoes for a short time while you’re on the plane. And you may even feel as though you’re getting into your own routine of flying.
However, if you consider the fact that you’re on a plane where everyone shares the space; you are sharing public hygiene; you need to respect the space of others; and in an emergency, you will want to have your shoes on – it makes sense to keep your shoes on.
- Comfort is nice.
- Clean feet are nicer.
- Safety and preparedness are the best.
So, before you take off your shoes the next time you fly, think about your decision.
