Flying Home

View of Washington Monument and the Capital (far right) from Regan National Airport in DC.

On my return trip I added Chicago, IL and Reagan National Airport in DC. I took American Airlines and they never once said anything about me being barefoot. I don't think the check-in person noticed I was barefoot, so that might have helped.  I also was never first in line and always made sure I approached the counter behind someone else and maintained eye contact.  The federal security agent was once again inquired about my lack of shoes, but didn't seem to care that I was walking around barefoot.


A few days after my trip I found a rule on American Airlines website that requires shoes. Seems like I really did get lucky.

https://www.aa.com/i18n/customer-service/support/conditions-of-carriage.jsp#AcceptPass

Scroll down about halfway to Acceptance of Passengers and you'll find the following.

12. Are clothed in a manner that would cause discomfort or offense to other passengers or are barefoot.

Good thing I didn't see this the before I left.  I have heard that this is left over from a bygone era when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was more involved in regulating the airlines and it just hasn't been removed from the old list of rules.  Which may be why many airline employees may wrongful state this is a Federal regulation.

 Knowing this I'm not sure if I would have done anything differently. If I had been told I needed shoes on this trip, I would have pulled out my sandals and put them on. You don't argue with the airlines these days, they have enough to worry about.  I had wondered what they would have done if I said my shoes were on my checked bag. Hmmm, now I think that would be a very bad thing to pull.

I did notice the guy behind me on the other side of the aisle had his flip flops off the entire time. Other passengers slip their shoes off as well. I think if we just need to be mindful that a lot of people think bare feet are dirty and smellier than shoes are and they think being barefoot is just wrong. For most of us being barefoot is a pleasant experience, for a few it is a necessity. I'll be thankful I can wear shoes without any painful consequences and put on shoes when necessary. It is not a matter of me having my rights violated by having to put shoes on. They have the right to require everyone to wear shoes and as long as everyone has the same requirement it is fair. They could require anyone flying on their airlines to wear red shirts and it would be 100% lawful, though maybe not good for business. Maybe someday there will be enough barefoot people to carry some weight in these matters. Until then I'm mindful I'm in the minority and enjoy being barefoot whenever possible and respectful at other times.