Is it okay to sit barefoot on a plane?

Yes, it's very good to take off your shoes because it's better for your circulation on long flights. I don't know for which airlines the previous posters work but all airlines I've been on have explicitly *advised* people to take their footwear off while seated. As the first poster noted people who were wearing any usually keep their socks on -but many people, especially women but even men, in summer, wear footwear sock-less, last time I flew it was August and there were very few socks in sight!

As long as your skin is whole, you won't have to worry about dirt; I've been barefoot for eleven years -yes EVERYWHERE- and I haven't had any foot trouble at all. It's a total myth that going barefoot is dangerous, gross or unhealthy; feet get very tough very quickly, our skin is made to keep pathogens out and feet are fully washable.

Athlete's foot may be a problem if you step down briefly where others have been barefoot just before you, but it needs the warm, dark and slightly damp environment of a shoe to grow. If you keep your feet bare, even if you pick up some spores, there's very little risk, on the surface of the bare skin it will dry up and die rather than get a chance to grow. It's called 'athlete's foot' for a reason rather than 'barefoot fungus' or something similar; it's very rare among populations that go barefoot more often. It can be a concern if you're wearing closed shoes & take them off in the security line only, because then -just like in a locker room- you'll be walking on the same floor where many people walk barefoot right in front of you and you'll put your fungus incubators -sorry, shoes- back on again as soon as you're through.

Foot odor can be a concern when people take their closed shoes off; it's really a misnomer and should be called 'shoe odor' since it's not the sweat itself you smell but rather a substance made by bacteria breaking down the sweat in anaerobe circumstances (with lack of oxygen). No shoes, no smell, but if you've been wearing closed shoes on a warm day & take a flight in the evening then it could be a problem :)

About safety in case of an emergency, the FAA site recommends wearing low-heeled, canvas or leather shoes for in case of emergencies. But most of the time people dress assuming the plane will stay up -if I assumed it was going to crash I wouldn't get on in the first place, LOL!- and as long as high heels, synthetic clothes etc are all allowed, bare feet really shouldn't be any problem. Also as many of us have seen in footage about disasters many times loose footwear like loafers, slippers & pumps are lost anyhow, and if you have to get off the plane on the slides you have to take it off as well.

Lots of people take their shoes off on long flights. Generally, they have socks on though.

with socks ya

I think Lynyrd Skynyrd had a song about that - -

Oooo that smell

THAT IS SO NASTY! SERIOUSLY I WORK FOR A MAJOR AIRLINE & PEOPLE I GUESS DON'T REALIZE HOW DIRTY THE FLOORS ARE! IT'S NOT LIKE THEY ARE STEAMED CLEANED EVERY DAY...IF U WANT ATHELETES FOOT OR SOME OTHER FUNGUS, THEN SURE WHY NOT.
PLUS OTHER FOLKS DON'T WANT TO SEE UR ANIMAL FEET ....LOL

Look at a lav floor on any airplane and you'll want to wear combat boots!

Well, if you hit turbulence the shoes that are supposed to be worn on your feet could possibly become flying debris. Plus, the floors on the planes I work on seem pretty dirty. If you want to take off your shoes, at least keep your socks on and push your shoes all the way under the seat in front of you.

Yeah, just make sure your feet do not smell...smells and sounds are enhanced in an aircraft. Lots of people take off their shoes...most have socks on, it your wearing sandals or something than it should not be a problem at all.

i dont see why it be an issue

Yeah its fine. The people here have a good point about the odor though. They make one mistake in thinking that its the feet that smell. Its actually the shoes that smell. Bacteria and fungus that decomposes is what causes odor and they need a warm moist dark environment to breed which makes your shoes like incubators. I take a shower in the morning and never put shoes on. My shoes used to smell a lot and subsiquently transfer that smell to my feet. Since my shoes have been in my closet for a year and a half, my feet dont smell any more.