The Source of the Airplane Odor Revealed... Rear Seat Passenger's Foot 'Peeking Out'

Story of a Disruptive Airplane Passenger Revealed
Taking Off Shoes and Stretching Feet in the Back Seat
'Rude Behavior of In-Flight Passenger' Worst Case

On the way back from an enjoyable overseas trip, unpleasant experiences on airplanes occur frequently. On the 4th, JTBC's 'Sageon Banjang' covered a story about a passenger on a flight returning to Korea from Japan on the 29th of last month, who stretched out their feet and emitted a foul odor.

[Image source=JTBC 'Sageon Banjang' capture]

At the time, Mr. A, who was on the flight, began to look around due to a strange smell coming from somewhere. He then discovered a passenger in the seat behind him who had taken off their shoes and was sticking out their feet between the wall and the seat next to him. In the photo Mr. A shared, the passenger behind is seen resting their foot on the armrest by the window. Mr. A stated, "It was a lady sitting behind me who traveled with the same travel agency package," and added, "I was so shocked and reported this hoping people would show some manners."

This is not the first time that inconsiderate and rude behavior on airplanes has caused controversy. In May, a photo of a 'nuisance passenger' resting their bare feet on the headrest of the seat in front on a flight from Gimpo Airport to Jeju sparked public outrage. The person who posted the photo claimed, "Even the flight attendants flinched every time they passed by but did not intervene. Probably because they thought it would just cause trouble if they tried to stop it, so they just looked the other way." Netizens expressed anger, saying, "Is the airplane your living room?"

According to the '2023 Nuisance Traveler Survey' conducted last year by the digital travel platform Agoda across 10 markets in Asia, most Korean travelers found rude behavior by fellow passengers on board the most bothersome. The survey ranked 'rude behavior invading others' seats' as the number one most unpleasant in-flight experience. This included disputes over armrests, noises coming from the body, and unpleasant odors from bare feet. The second most unpleasant was 'flight delays,' followed by 'noisy passengers' in third place. 'Noisy passengers' included overly talkative neighbors, couples drying dirty laundry on the plane, and travelers who loudly played music or games throughout the flight.