We've all seen unusual, perhaps questionable behavior while flying. However, a passenger on a Delta Air Lines flight was in for a New Years Day surprise when he saw a woman controlling her inflight entertainment screen with her bare feet!

Delta IFE screens
IFE has come a long way from seatback entertainment, becoming much more cost-effective. Photo: Delta News Hub via Flickr

What happened?

A frequent flier named Erik Olvera shared a video of the incident on his Twitter while stating his disbelief of what he saw. In the footage, the woman in front of him can be seen browsing through the list of Delta's wide-range of inflight movies.

She wasn't sure what to choose from as she scrolled past the likes of Kung Fu Panda and the Good Boys. She even dismissed all of the Toy Story sequels in a bid to find the right film. It seemed like she might have decided on The Princes Diaries until she swiped left on that too.

I fly a lot and this, by far, is the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen on a plane. Bringing #antibacterialwipes. Where’s ⁦@NaomiCampbell⁩ when you need her inflight wipe down advice? #Delta #frequentflyer 🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮 pic.twitter.com/kGR2D7hDa7

— Erik Olvera (@JErikOlvera) January 1, 2020

Ife Screen Delta
IFE is a crucial source of entertainment for several passengers. Photo: Delta News Hub via Flickr

Viral response

The post has since had 1.4 million views, 2.7k retweets and 7.4k likes. There have been plenty of replies in disgust with the video. There have even been some suggestions of adding recommendations for customers not to control the IFE with their feet as part of the emergency drill.

However, there were some people questioning if the woman was disabled, which could have forced her to proceed in this manner. However, Olvera confirmed that the person did indeed have fully functioning arms as she used them for plenty of other tasks.

"Her arms were just fine. She carried her expensive luggage on/off the plane. Also used them to throw back cocktails and take snacks from the galley when the FA wasn’t around," Olvera replied on his Twitter.

Delta Air Lines Aircraft
The incident happened on a Delta operation but we are waiting for confirmation on which flight it was. Photo: Airbus

Cause of debate

The incident has sparked some arguments as to whether Olvera should have raised his concern with the passenger or not. Some claim that he should have said something to the lady while others state that, if he had confronted her, it could have caused a volatile situation, especially since the passenger had reportedly been drinking.

Regardless, this kind of activity is unhygienic and could spread bacteria to other passengers onboard. A flight already crams hundreds of people in a tight space together; behavior like this won't help at all. Altogether, you may want to make sure to carry a pack of antibacterial wipes with you on your next flight.

Simple Flying reached out to Delta Air Lines for further information on this incident, namely to confirm which flight it occurred on. We will update the article with any further announcements.

What is your reaction after seeing this video? Let us know your thoughts on the event in the comment section.