Footsies under the seat in front

[exceladdict]

Currently on a QF 737. As I imagine most people do, I sometimes like to extend my legs as much as possible into the area under the seat in front of me (where my bag would be, if the seat next to me wasn't empty). However the person in front of me today seems quite keen to curl their legs backwards, possibly anchoring their toes on this "barrier" (photo taken across the aisle):



What confused me was that after the initial exploration (possibly discovering that my bag wasn't there), the feet came back for a second or third check for space, finding my feet each time. After this, I yielded a bit of space, but this would have been difficult / impossible if my bag needed to be there.

Is my understanding of the 'social norm' here correct in that this space is typically the "domain" of the person behind it? i.e. each seat, with the exception of bulkhead rows, has the use of the space in front - but not under - their seat?

I was not going to nudge the person back, and especially being a short domestic flight with an extra seat adjacent there was enough space to be comfortable. But have I been misreading this social norm the whole time?

Thank you for entertaining this Sunday musing.

 

[Pushka]

Currently on a QF 737. As I imagine most people do, I sometimes like to extend my legs as much as possible into the area under the seat in front of me (where my bag would be, if the seat next to me wasn't empty). However the person in front of me today seems quite keen to curl their legs backwards, possibly anchoring their toes on this "barrier" (photo taken across the aisle):

View attachment 350283

What confused me was that after the initial exploration (possibly discovering that my bag wasn't there), the feet came back for a second or third check for space, finding my feet each time. After this, I yielded a bit of space, but this would have been difficult / impossible if my bag needed to be there.

Is my understanding of the 'social norm' here correct in that this space is typically the "domain" of the person behind it? i.e. each seat, with the exception of bulkhead rows, has the use of the space in front - but not under - their seat?

I was hardly going to nudge the person back, and especially being a short domestic flight with an extra seat adjacent there was enough space to be comfortable. But have I been misreading this social norm the whole time?

Thank you for entertaining this Sunday musing.

That's the footwell or luggage repository for your feet/luggage. However I'm a bit of a fidgeter and might do what the person in front did. Have to keep my legs moving due to DVT. But if there were feet or bags there then that's fine but I might forget and have another go.

 

[henrus]

A good kick should solve the problem and get the message across . In Economy, the space under your seat is for the seat behind.

Over the years I've had people try and put their bag below/under their seat but the best was a Cathay flight from Paris to Hong Kong.

A French woman (who couldn't speak English or Chinese) at the bulkhead in front insisted on putting her newspaper under her seat (which was my legroom space). I just casually slid it forward out of my space before a couple of times before she turned around and gave me a good serve in French. Crew obviously sided with myself and threatened to kick her off (boarding was still under way) if she didn't cut it out. I'm surprised they didn't because she then stood on her seat to store her newspaper overhead (she was really short) and finally insisted the crew bring her water before take off.

 

[Forg]

A French woman (who couldn't speak English or Chinese)

Correction … a French woman, who speaks 5 languages fluently, pretended not to speak English or Cantonese or Mandarin …

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Oui Monsieur!
Non parlay Anglaise.

 

[Seat0B]

A good kick should solve the problem and get the message across . In Economy, the space under your seat is for the seat behind.

Over the years I've had people try and put their bag below/under their seat but the best was a Cathay flight from Paris to Hong Kong.

A French woman (who couldn't speak English or Chinese) at the bulkhead in front insisted on putting her newspaper under her seat (which was my legroom space). I just casually slid it forward out of my space before a couple of times before she turned around and gave me a good serve in French. Crew obviously sided with myself and threatened to kick her off (boarding was still under way) if she didn't cut it out. I'm surprised they didn't because she then stood on her seat to store her newspaper overhead (she was really short) and finally insisted the crew bring her water before take off.

worse than feet on bulkheads for sure

 

[luckypierre]

A good kick should solve the problem and get the message across . In Economy, the space under your seat is for the seat behind.

Many many years ago , somewhere in Europe travelling in whY, very early in the trip the chap behind decided he was going to place his knees firmly in the middle of my back(my seat wasn’t reclined). As you would appreciate this was very uncomfortable. I proceeded to firmly hit the seat a few times and the chap behind got the message. Different time , different era, would I do that now , certainly not , would make a polite request to the chap concerned.

 

[Himeno]

On one of the last long haul flights I took in Y, I had my shoes stored in the underseat space. ie, my storage space. During the flight, the person in that seat reached under the seat, took out my shoes and started playing with them.

 

[AIRwin]

On one of the last long haul flights I took in Y, I had my shoes stored in the underseat space. ie, my storage space. During the flight, the person in that seat reached under the seat, took out my shoes and started playing with them.

Shoe fetish?

 

[Captain Halliday]

What confused me was that after the initial exploration (possibly discovering that my bag wasn't there), the feet came back for a second or third check for space, finding my feet each time.

Surely by this stage you’d realised something was afoot?

 

[DC3]

On one of the last long haul flights I took in Y, I had my shoes stored in the underseat space. ie, my storage space. During the flight, the person in that seat reached under the seat, took out my shoes and started playing with them.

I assume that your feet were no longer in your shoes at this point

 

[Himeno]

I assume that your feet were no longer in your shoes at this point

No. (thankfully - I have long legs, one reason I no longer fly in Y for long haul, but they still aren't long enough to get pulled through under the seat in front).

It was QF32 (on VH-OQA not long after she returned to service). Had the shoes back before we landed at KUL (diverted for fuel due to storms at SIN)

 

[TMP]

I realise this is slightly OT but I witnessed some truly horrific foot behaviour on my recent Air Asia X experience KUL to MEL.

One elderly lady to the aisle seat across from me with her foot propped up on the row in front's aisle arm rest. And then her elderly friend in the aisle seat in front of me, with her bare feet up on the middle seat, pointing at the poor lady stuck in the window seat.

Both that lady and the man in front having to put up with this were too polite to say anything for the flight.

 

[RooFlyer]

Someone's going to end up with a crushed jacket.

 

[Scarlett]

I guess this is pretty close to live reporting @RooFlyer? If so, why would 2C put a jacket there with the room available in J?

 

[Vic]

I guess this is pretty close to live reporting @RooFlyer? If so, why would 2C put a jacket there with the room available in J?

I'd guess it's 3C, actually. The question is still valid. WHY?!

 

[RooFlyer]

My seat 2C , theirs 1C. I guess they just stuffed it under their seat rather than put it in the locker. Wasn’t any great impediment.

 

[Forg]

My seat 2C , theirs 1C. I guess they just stuffed it under their seat rather than put it in the locker. Wasn’t any great impediment.

At least the soles of your shoes were made perfectly clean!