I guess she should have gotten a window seat.

She was sitting in the window seat -- the smelly person was behind her and stuck her feet through the gap in the seat (hence the smell).

Speaking of which, it seems like I'm seeing more and more people do this (especially on long-haul flights) -- all of a sudden I will feel a nudge at my elbow, and there's a foot on my armrest! I'm not as easily squicked as most people, so I just nudge my elbow into the foot, and it usually retreats. But I'm always super tempted to use the ice from my drink.

There is no gap that size between the seat and the wall of the plane, except maybe in first class.

There is no gap that size between the seat and the wall of the plane, except maybe in first class.

I've seen it happen -- and done it myself (to my sister, just to mess with her) on a flight to Johannesburg, which was most definitely in coach.

The writer actually posted a picture at the link above. Men probably can't do it, but it's not that difficult for small-footed women.

Really, this was a time when she should have spoken up.

After reading this woman's litany of complaints about the safest most comfortable way ever invented to cross the Pacific Ocean, I would like to put her on a Kon Tiki raft, with a bottle of water and a couple of coconuts and shove her ungrateful ass into the Equatorial counter current, for the long ride to the U.S.

I would like to have read about her speaking up; but, from my own experience with airlines if you speak up you become the problem for the flight crew and they treat you as the problem - not the rude passenger.

What a great way to counter-offend the TSA duty groper!

Eh, people are noisy, and sometimes you shift your legs and bump the seat in front of you accidentally. The foot thing, though? Inexcusable.

Oh no, that foot would have been removed. By any means necessary, starting with asking the foot owner, but escalating as needed till the objective was met. No WAY I'd sit and suffer stench for 8 hours. No way. I can't fathom why she did? Unless she didn't, really, and used a stinky few minutes as fodder for a funny story.

The kicking thing: some people are assholes about it. I was flying with my DD RIGHT next to me, watching her, and she bumped the back of the seat in front of her *once* while trying to reposition herself in the seat. The lady turned around and (attempted to) light into me about my kid kicking her seat. Um, no. Had to set her straight. I also, from that point on, did NOT watch my kids feet. if they met her seat again, oh well.

I've been in a frequently-kicked seat on planes before. I found it relaxing, like a percussion massage. Stench, though? hells no. Can't take it.