I'm totally disgusted by people who take off their shoes on a plane -- especially when it's someone beside me. I'm tempted to say something but worry it'll lead to a confrontation. How do I get my point across without making it an issue and viral moment for people with their phones?
Here’s the thing: flight attendants are your friend and, in a way, work for you. (I said "in a way" so don't write me any nasty messages.) Sure, the shoeless passenger might not be breaking the rules (or maybe they are, depending on the airline) but there is something to expressing your discomfort with staff aboard the plane. Get up and go to the washroom and casually mention that you’re grossed out and ask if they can say something. Perhaps ask them to wait five minutes until after you get back so the timing doesn't seem suspect. They'll know what to do, they've likely encountered the same situation hundreds of times.
Make sure you’re not drawing attention to it beforehand because it’ll be obvious you went and snitched – then that’ll make the rest of the flight hella awkward.
Why not distract yourself with a movie or book and not pay attention to it? The more you think about it the more it gets to you. Unless there’s an obvious stank foot smell, it should be easily forgotten if you find something else to do during the flight.
If you’re travelling by yourself – or even if you’re not – ask the flight attendant to move you somewhere else if there are open seats. I’m not saying try for first class but if you say you’re creeped out and would like to move, they might agree that it’s easier to put you somewhere else than cause conflict amongst their guests.
As for casually mentioning it to your seatmate or deploying some sort of passive aggressive way to get your point across, it’s probably not worth whatever happens if you don’t trust yourself to handle it respectfully. If you’ve seen those viral videos – and I know you have because you know this is a common issue – weigh the options and assess if you have the tact to get your feelings across without creating turbulence.