It’s a sight nobody wants to see on an airplane (or any public space, for that matter).
On Tuesday, Twitter user Jessie Char posted an image of two empty airline seats next to hers. “My two favorite people to sit with on a plane,” she wrote on the social media site.
A few hours later, Char posted another tweet and photo that left the internet completely grossed out. “You guys will never guess what happened next,” she continued.
READ MORE: Airplane Etiquette
In a second photo, a fellow passenger’s feet are seen resting on the armrests. “Today, I flew on the set of a nightmare,” she continued on Twitter.
And to make things worse, Char adds the person tried to open a window cover with their left foot.
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The flight
Speaking with People magazine, the 30 year old said she was on a JetBlue flight from Long Beach to San Francisco, Calif., when she first noticed the feet after someone collapsed the armrests.
“It was writhing around on one armrest and there was a significant amount of toe wiggling,” she told the site. “And then, from the other side of the chair, another foot emerged.”
“A few things were going through my head: Is this actually happening? Does anyone else see this? This is kind of impressive! What is the best way for me to resolve this?,” she tells Global News via e-mail. “I discreetly looked back at her, and she didn’t see me staring.”
After taking the photo, Char wanted to find a flight attendant. “My next move was to notify a flight attendant, and by the time one finally came around, the feet retracted,” she says.
Social media erupts
The feet tweet, with more than 28,000 likes, has left social media users feeling all kinds of emotions.
Some could only express their disgust in gifs.
Others had some unique ideas of what they would’ve done in this situation.
Some users, like Brittany Prime, even shared her own feet-on-seat nightmare photos to relate.
“I did not expect this to go viral,” Char says. “I’ve been on Twitter for 10 years and I think I’ve tweeted far funnier things. But I suppose this really struck a chord with people.”
Basic airline etiquette
According to Business Insider, there are some pretty simple rules to follow when it comes to airline etiquette. Don’t hog the overhead bin, if you need to recline, do it carefully, and as always, don’t get super drunk during a flight.
Char adds most fliers usually are dealing with their own form of misery.
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“People are cramped, homesick, dehydrated, uncomfortable. Rather than going into survival mode and taking advantage of other peoples’ space, just do your best to keep to yourself in your own space,” she tells Global News. “Don’t shove, don’t complain about crying babies, don’t jump ahead of people to deplane. Just sit in your seat, appreciate the magic of air travel, and for the love of God, don’t put your bare feet in places that weren’t designed for feet.”
arti.patel@globalnews.ca