DLFan2

DL 1577 today. Plopped down in 2A and discovered 3A's sock clad foot on my armrest under the window. 3A immediately and politely explained (in a European accent) that she had injured her ankle and had been told by her doctor to keep it elevated, and would I mind if she used my armrest? I told her, yes I would mind. 3A acted surprised at the response, but immediately removed her foot. I felt slightly bad about it especially since she was a foreign visitor, but the thought of 3 hours with a foot in my face as well as not being able to use the armrest overcame any regret over the decision. What would you have done?

JesseRohr

Feet are foul. I would have done the same.

vbjd1111

Sounds like both of you acted totally reasonably, assuming her explanation was true. She proactively asked you for permission; you declined; she complied with your wishes. Not unreasonable on anyone's part.

Do wonder how something at the level of the arm rest is "in your face" though. I would not described being kicked in the arm as being kicked in the face, for example.

DLFan2

Rather long foot propped on a pillow on top of arm rest with toes pointed up puts toes pretty close to face if you are short and wanting to look out the window. And definitely within smelling range. Question more about how sympathetic and helpful to be in this situation, rather than about the civility of the exchange.

bennos

If she legitimately was told by her doctor to keep it elevated (which of course is hard to know), then I think you did the wrong thing. There was probably a compromise like "ok, but can you wrap it/cover it with a blanket so I can't smell it"?

Navig8R

DL1577 was a bad flight for you today, huh? Seniors and families got to preboard before Mr. Special Elite and now you were attacked by smelly feet?

How would you have wanted a fellow passenger to respond had you been the one with the foot issue? If it seemed like a legit request, would've been nice if you obliged, but you clearly can't be botherd with others based off your posts from today.

Crazyhotelguy

Where do we draw the line here?

Why should 2A have to make a special concession for 3A. Doesn't 2A have a right to the space they paid for? Just like 3A should not expect her space to be invaded?

I am all for being kind to others, but I have pretty much given up on believing the stories of the public at hand. Just yesterday, I made a final decision to NEVER entertain another seat swap due to a lying pair of DB's...

The general public at large just seems to have entered a self-entitled, screw you attitude, where good guys get taken advantage of.

End of rant

Navig8R

Absolutely! Sad state of affairs

MSPeconomist

What happened with the seat swap? We want to know.

airindia787

On the other hand, why should he sacrifice space he paid for just to accommodate someone else's supposed medical issue? IMO, if you have a serious enough medical issue that requires you to invade the space of others, perhaps you should take a break from flying until you recover.

Esltroy

How dare the OP expect the boarding policy to be enforced. And the OP diva expected to not spend hours next to a stinky European foot.

All hail the almighty delta.

Doc Savage

OP was perfectly within his rights not to cede the armrest to a smelly foot.

It's hard to imagine why 3A thought they would EVER get away with this.

avidflyer

If she was legitimately told by her doctor to keep it elevated she is not fit to fly...end of discussion.

NotHamSarnie

If she was traveling with somebody, and they were willing to cede their armrest to her smelly foot, then I would have accommodated a seat swap with them, even though I prefer the window seat. But yeah, if it's so important that the foot be elevated, she probably should stay at home. What did she do for the security line and other waiting around?

rtpflyer

Absolutely NOT the end of the discussion!

A few years ago, my wife fell and injured her knee while on vacation in Hawaii requiring surgery. After a month in the hospital, the doctors finally cleared her to fly home provided she kept her leg elevated as much as possible, but she was in a fixed knee brace (with screws into the bone) that would not allow her to bend her knee at all. In her case, we had to purchase First Class seats on the bulkhead to secure sufficient leg room to allow her to fly at all, and after takeoff, we were able to prop her leg up on a piece of carry-on luggage with a pillow on top of it. It made for a really difficult flight home to Florida, but it beat having to spend the next couple of years away from home stuck in Hawaii.