Flight Attendants & Pilots
In addition, flight attendants are required to walk backwards at steep angles, pushing and pulling heavy carts, regardless of unexpected turbulence, and they encounter hazards such as passengers with crossed legs and heavy carry-on baggage.
As a result, foot problems are common for flight attendants. Occasionally they are painful enough to be debilitating and require medical attention, but more frequently they hurt just enough to be a chronic workplace nag—ignored at the start of a shift and nearly unbearable by the end. People often accept this as normal fatigue and normal foot pain, but foot pain of any kind is most definitely not normal and more importantly not necessary.
Although footwear regulations for flight attendants vary among carriers, most carriers require professional looking footwear, so your comfy sneakers are out. The great news, however, is that over the past 5-10 years advances in technology and materials have allowed for more and more professional-looking, foot-healthy, supportive and comfortable shoes to enter the market. So the opportunity for flight attendants to wear attractive shoes that are also comfortable and promote good foot health while at work inflight is better than ever.
Finding the right shoe for your foot is the first step, followed by making sure that shoe fits properly. Adding arch supports or orthotics if necessary for additional support is the final step. At SHOES-n-FEET, we have a large selection of professional and casual shoes to choose from, and we are experts on selecting and fitting just the right shoe for your feet and your job requirements.
Healthy feet are a key element in doing a job well, especially for people like flight attendants, whose jobs require them to be on their feet constantly.