Idris Elba's Airline Habits Are Low-Key Horrifying & Sitting Next To Him Must Be Rough
Idris Elba is sharing some of his airline habits and it sounds like the Luther: The Fallen Sun star breaks a lot of rules when he's up in the air.
Elba revealed his airline etiquette during an interview with ET Canada and his admission includes whether he reclines his seat and how he feels about taking his shoes off during a flight.
Elba was discussing his new Apple TV+ series Hijack, in which his character spends a lot of time on an airplane when he revealed his personal airline behaviour.
When the British actor was asked about whether he walks or stands still on a moving walkway in an airport, the Beast star revealed he stands still because "it's a ride." Ok, that's definitely fair!
However, when it comes to reclining his seat and taking his shoes off, his answer may offend a lot of travellers.
Elba says he takes his shoes off when he's on a plane because a traveller's "feet swell." He does leave his socks on though because bare feet in a bathroom isn't a good idea.
When he's not in first class, Elba also admits he likes to recline his seat, even after he was asked if it was disrespectful to the passenger sitting behind him.
"I don’t see you. Sorry! I’m reclining," the actor responded with a laugh during the ET Canada interview.
Elba also shared that he prefers not to have to check in any luggage because he's not a fan of waiting for it when the plane lands.
One last travel habit he shared was whether he enjoys talking to other passengers during flights.
"It depends. So if it’s a late flight, I’ve been working all day and I’m just trying to get some Zs? Don’t talk to me,” Elba expressed to ET Canada.
"But if it’s, like, midday then, you know, you’re cool," said Elba. "‘What’s up, man? You see the game?'"
While most of these are understandable, the shoes off on a flight may be the most controversial.
Narcity has spoken to a couple of experts on the topic of airline etiquette recently and the views around the issue are a bit mixed. One thing they do agree on: never go barefoot on a plane.
In April, Narcity spoke with a pilot, who asked not to be identified, and they said taking your shoes off is OK, but only when you're seated.
"On long haul flights, I take my shoes off in my seat, and that's it. But as soon as I'm getting out of my seat, I put my shoes on, even if it's just to run to the bathroom and back," the pilot said.
In another interview with Diane Gottsman, an etiquette expert and the owner of The Protocol School of Texas, she recommended wearing comfortable shoes you can loosen and don't have to take off.
"Don't take your shoes off and don't walk through [the plane]. It's bad manners. It's not considerate for other passengers. You don't walk from your seat to the restroom barefoot. You're not in your living room. You are in a public space," she told Narcity.
"We don't want to see other people's dirty socks or toes or have any odours."
Seat reclining has been another hot topic of conversation online over the past several months.
While some may admit to doing it, others say it's rude to those behind them.
Shawn Kathleen, an ex-flight attendant who runs the huge Instagram account @passengershaming, previously told Narcity that reclining your seat is fine, but you should still be kind and respectful when you do it.
So whether or not you agree with Elba's seat reclining and lack of shoes, he's not exactly wrong — it all just depends on who you ask!
