A TRAVEL expert has revealed a controversial opinion on passenger etiquette that very few people will agree with.
Every day people annoy one another on flights, as they get trapped next to strangers with strange personal habits for hours at a time.
One of the main problems that frequently arises is around feet and whether passengers should remove their shoes and socks.
It's generally agreed that removing shoes is a bad idea, while removing socks is a definite faux pas, for many reasons.
However, Sarah James, deputy digital director of Condé Nast Traveller has a difference of opinion.
While she said she would prefer to keep her own socks on, she's got no problem with other people taking them off, as long as they don't invade her seating area.
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In an article online, she wrote: "As I write this, I’m sitting on a plane with my shoes off. I have no issues with any of my fellow cabin-mates doing the same.
"I’m firmly in the socks-on camp, and I shove my shoes back on before walking around the cabin or going to the bathroom, but I’m not staunchly against people going sockless, either.
"I draw the line at anyone’s bare feet invading my personal space. But if your neighbour can’t grasp those basic manners, their feet are probably the least of your worries."
There are plenty of reasons why passengers should never remove their socks on a plane, with flight attendants revealing just how disgusting it can be.
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One cabin crew member wrote on a Reddit thread: "I promise you, nine times out of 10, that is not water on the bathroom floor.
"The toilets are often absolutely disgusting and get deep cleaned only at the end of a route, for us this could be from one side of the world to the other… imagine how lovely they are at the end of a 12 hour flight with 200 people using them.”
It's not just flight attendants warning passengers about removing their socks either.
Podiatrist Ebonie Vincent has also said that they being barefoot leaves travellers exposed to bad bacteria.
She told the Washington Post: "You could pick up fungus, not to mention the millions of germs and bacteria that you could transfer to carpets, inside hotel rooms or homes and cars, which serves as a danger to other people.
Flight attendant Raven Johnson added that it made her "cringe", saying: "Yes, they're cleaning the planes a lot more than they used to, but still, you're not at home."
Tony Kuna, who used to work as as a member of the cabin crew, explained that it could also cause problems if there is an emergency during a flight.
He wrote on Quora: “During an emergency, all sorts of debris and unpleasant ground surfaces will block your way towards the exit, as well as outside the aircraft.
“If your feet [aren’t] properly covered, you'll have a hard time making your way to safety."
He also said this was why you should never go barefoot either.
Tony added: "Imagine destroying your bare feet as your run down the aisle covered with broken glass, fires and metal shards.
"Kind of like John McClane in Die Hard, but worse.”
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Meanwhile, this woman revealed a clever trick to remove a passenger's bare feet from her seat.
And last year, a man was praised for his "no-nonsense" approach to a passenger's feet on his armrest after he poured water on them.
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