A British couple have described feeling like they were 'in a horror film' after a fellow airline passenger pushed her bare feet through the gap between seats during a flight, almost reaching their tray table. Mosey and Jess Jones were just two weeks into a backpacking trip across Thailand when the bizarre incident unfolded on an AirAsia flight from Chiang Mai to Surat Thani on 22 March.
Shocking In-Flight Encounter
The couple said they were left 'horrified' after noticing the passenger seated in front of them had stretched out and pushed her feet backwards through the seat gap. Mosey, 30, from The Wirral in Merseyside, recounted the moment: 'We just sat on the plane and Jess saw the foot coming through the side. They were two proper hippies, she was lying down on his lap and her foot started coming through.'
Describing the situation as 'visually gross', Mosey admitted he briefly considered tickling the passenger's feet to make a point. He added: 'If you're on a longer flight and you have a row to yourself obviously, you're going to lie down. But don't start putting your feet up. She would move about and they would poke through.'
Disgust and Disbelief
Jess, 31, said the experience was unlike anything she had encountered before and left her feeling 'disgusted'. She explained: 'It definitely shouldn't be allowed. People eat there and I think it's really bad to do that. Keep it to your section. We were just disgusted and couldn't believe this was actually happening so we took our phones out in case it got progressively worse.'
She noted that the flight was less than two hours long, making the behaviour particularly unnecessary. 'It was visually gross. It was less than a two-hour flight so we thought it was not needed at all. No one really walked past so we didn't know what to do so we decided to leave it,' Jess said.
Documenting the Incident
Rather than confronting the passenger or alerting cabin crew, the pair decided to film the incident in case it escalated. They later shared the footage online with a caption: 'Never felt horrified on a flight before, this was like a horror film. How are there actual grown adults who think this is acceptable?'
The video has since amassed over 23,000 views, with numerous commenters expressing disbelief at the behaviour. One viewer simply wrote, 'Disgusting', while another suggested, 'Should have spilled your coffee on it.' A third commented: 'Just weird behaviour isn't it.'
Changed Travel Habits
Jess revealed that the experience has altered how she approaches air travel. She said: 'It just reminded us that we need anti-bacterial wipes on everything you touch on an airplane.' This incident follows recent warnings from flight attendants about passenger hygiene.
In a related development, a flight attendant recently warned passengers not to board flights 'at all' if they don't shower beforehand. Posting on TikTok, cabin crew member Cher (@cherdallas) complained: 'There is zero reason that I should be smelling a stranger's body odour radiating off of their warm body at 5 o'clock in the morning. It's always men. Sometimes it's ladies that are having a lady problem that nobody has told them about but usually it's men. Wash yourself. You are going to be shoulder to shoulder with strangers. Show up clean or don't come at all.'
The couple's story highlights ongoing concerns about in-flight etiquette and hygiene, sparking broader discussions about acceptable behaviour during air travel.
