Are Airplane Footrests Worth It?

Footrests or hammocks are an effective way to make your feet relax during your flight, have a good posture and have a pleasant flight.

In addition, a good feet position has many benefits including improvement of blood circulation, body balance so you can stretch and sleep comfortably.

In other words, using a footrest on a plan will make it more comfortable, because you don’t have to keep your legs in the same position for the entire flight.

 Therefore, it is definitely worth investing in a good footrest for plane travel.

However, nowadays footrests come in different sorts, shapes and sizes, which is confusing on what to use, but do not be concerned, this article will answer all your questions and explain why using a footrest on a plane will improve your flight. And which footrest will be a great fit for traveling.

Let’s dive right in.

Are Airplane Footrests Worth It-02
Airplane Foot Hammock (Memory Foam), / courtesy of Amazon

What Type Of Footrest Is Good For Airplanes?

There are numerous footrests in the market (the Hammock footrest, the Inflatable footrest and the Electric footrest).

It all depends on your personal preferences, but obviously; a lightweight and easy to carry footrest will be much better than a bulky one.

You do not want to spend time getting your footrest ready for a long time, bother fellow passengers or ask them for help.

In addition, you also do not want a footrest that can be counted as a piece of luggage, if you take a large footrest, it may cost you to sacrifice one of your carry-on pieces.

Hammock footrests are most popular when it comes to traveling and I would recommend it, they don’t take too much space and they are adjustable, easy to set up and remove.

Inflatable footrest can be a good idea if you are traveling with an infant, it will not just help their feet but you can also turn it into a small bed.

What Is An Airplane Foot hammock?

Airplane footrest hammock or a foot sling is a small hammock like the one (in the image above) you can hang or attach it to the back of an airplane seat, then place your feet on it and it helps to elevate the legs to relax and sleep like a baby.

Most people prefer hammocks because they are easy to carry, adjustable, lightweight and they do not block the space between the seats compared with inflatable footrests.

Some people says that one of the disadvantages of a footrest hammock is when it is attached to the tray the weight may affect the passenger seat in front of you, however most of the trays are not attached to the back rest of the seat, but rather it is fixed in the lower part.

The Pros Of Using a Footrest On Your Flight

  • Help your body relax and give him support
  • Reduce Foot swelling
  • a Better Blood Circulation
  • They are durable and lightweight
  • Good Design

1. Help your body relax and give him support

While most travelers want to enjoy a good night’s rest and zzZZzZzZzz on a long flight, a good pillow and a footrest will definitely make it possible.

Back pain is common, but using a footrest will keep your feet in the ideal position, maintain a good upright postsure and support your back.

Some aircraft manufacturers are not that generous to make the legroom spacious and roomy, so airplane seats are often very tight and keeping a good posture while sleeping is hard.

2. Reduce Foot swelling

Foot swelling especially during long flights is a familiar thing, and it is typically harmless but still annoying.

And the most known cause is inactivity or absence of the legs movement, a footrest will likely decrease the chance of feet swelling to happen by reducing the pressure in your legs, but mostly you will need to move your body and legs from time to time in order to relieve foot swelling during the flight.

3. a Better Blood Circulation in the body

Sitting for long times is not healthy and is not good for blood circulation, and that is why most people use footrests at work offices.

So using a footrest encourages the blood to circulate smoothly through our body.

Some office footrests are designed to give some cool massage, but these types of footrests are designed for offices, and they are bulky and will not work for an airplane.

4. They are durable and lightweight

If you are a frequent traveler, I am sure you want any of your travel accessories to last for many trips.

In addition, one good thing about the footrests, especially the hammocks, they are durable and can be used several times and still keep their shape.

In rare times, you may need to replace the buckle, or the strap but these things are easy to replace and you can find them anywhere.

You also want it to be lightweight so you can carry it everywhere; you do not want to take a bulky footrest that will take too much space inside your carry-on or add extra weight to your bag

5. Good Design

Most footrests have good-looking designs that you can use anywhere, on airplanes, at the airport or even at the office; they do not have some weird shape that you will not be able to install or place in your bag.

The design and the shape of footrests matters, since you are going to take it with you all the time, you do not want to carry something versatile and can be used whenever you want.

Inflatable footrests can sometimes get you some stares at the airplane, people that are not familiar with  them  will be curious about what you are doing, but it is not a big deal if you are more comfortable  using an inflatable footrest rather than a hammock.

Final Thoughts: So Do Plane Footrests Really Work?

Overall, I believe that taking a footrest and a good pillow on an airplane is worth it; it will be a great addition to your travel kit, as they will definitely increase the comfort of your flight.

If you are a fan of inflatable footrests, you have more space in front of you, you can move it around and place it in the position you want you can then take that type of footrest, on the other hand I will definitely recommend using a foot hammock.

Happy travels

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