The Difference a Foot Net Makes on a Long-Haul Flight

Like many people, I find it difficult to sleep on planes unless I can lie down. Usually, lying down in-flight means either booking Business or First Class, or trying to snag a row of seats for yourself in Economy Class.

But if I do end up flying overnight in Economy or Premium Economy, there’s one seemingly trivial thing that I find actually does make a big difference to my comfort: a net underneath the seat in front to put your feet into.

Of course, the obvious things like good legroom, a decently wide seat and having an empty seat next to you can all help. There is definitely a big difference between the best and worst Economy Class products. They are not all the same!

Often, if you’re in Premium Economy, you’ll even get some sort of extendable leg rest. That said, I find that airlines tend to design these for people who are about five feet tall. Which I am not.

Why I value foot nets

When trying to sleep in Economy – or even Premium Economy – I often find that I don’t really have anywhere to comfortably rest my feet. I might be able to stretch them out under the seat in front, but they’re not really being supported by anything and can slide around.

This is where a foot net – as simple as it sounds – actually makes a big difference to me. It’s a bit like a hammock for your legs.

Case in point: I recently flew Premium Economy on Finnair’s Airbus A350. While the seat itself was wide and offered plenty of legroom, I just couldn’t quite get comfortable while sleeping. The passenger next to me apparently couldn’t either, as he adopted a rather strange sleeping position with his knees raised above his feet.

The main reason I couldn’t get comfortable is that I didn’t really have anything to support my feet.

By contrast, Qantas has a specific fold-out support mechanism for your feet in Premium Economy. I do think it makes a difference. I’ve been able to sleep semi-reasonably in Qantas’ Boeing 787 Premium Economy.

If I can rest my feet in a net or some other kind of support under the seat in front, I find that they are supported much better and that I can get a lot more comfortable. Maybe it’s the placebo effect, but either way, it works for me. And it costs the airline almost nothing – neither in terms of actually installing the net, nor in terms of extra fuel consumption, since it adds minimal extra weight to the plane.

I would be interested to know what you think about this. Do you find it easier to sleep in Economy or Premium Economy if you can support your feet in a net?

Which airlines and planes have foot nets?

Luckily for Australians, Qantas has chosen to install foot nets in Economy Class on its Airbus A380s, Boeing 787-9s and Airbus A330-300s. However, you won’t find them on the Airbus A330-200s that operate many overnight flights from Asia to Australia. (Hopefully Qantas will add these in the upcoming A330 refurbishments…)

Other than that, I’m hard pressed to think of any other airlines with foot nets in Economy Class. I’m not saying there are none, but I cannot recall ever seeing one on an airline other than Qantas. Do you know of any other airlines that have this?

I would love it if more airlines would install foot nets in Economy and Premium Economy. It’s such a simple idea which adds to passengers’ comfort without really taking anything away. It doesn’t detract from the experience if you don’t use it!

In the absence of an airline-installed net, do you have a makeshift method of creating a “foot sling” that works for you?

You can share your thoughts and experience on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum!