Best Flight Attendant Shoes For Comfort

No matter how long your flight is or how much you work on your feet, there might be times when you’re exposed to injuries. While you might not suffer from any major injuries, you might already suffer from minor injuries that you pass off as something you should expect from working as a flight attendant. It doesn’t matter how severe the injuries are, it’s best if you know what they are and how you can avoid them:

Heavy or tired legs after long flights: This tends to happen as a result of hypermobility, or the excessive movement of the lower limbs. To protect yourself from this injury, be sure to wear supportive and good-fitting shoes and avoid wearing high heels when possible.

Pain at the back of the heel: This pain could move up to the lower muscle of the calf as a result of Achilles tendonitis, or the inflammation of the tendon that inserts into your heel. For these kinds of issues, look for shoes with a wedge, and perform exercises recommended by a physical therapist or a podiatrist.

Pain at the heel of your soles: This could be the result of plantar fasciitis, so be sure to wear supportive shoes with small heels and good arches. You can also seek help from a podiatrist if the condition worsens.

Pain from your lower back’s center: This may also worsen if you’re standing barefoot or wearing flat shoes, and could be the result of an early heel lift. A common condition in cabin crew, this condition may start after years of wearing high heel shoes. Be sure to wear a wedge shoe with small heels and seek advice from your podiatrist.

Most airlines require black shoes without any adornment, but the guidelines will usually vary from one company to another. While some airlines may be a bit more lenient with their shoe requirements, others don’t allow any margin of difference. Some airlines will allow red shoes for women and navy blue shoes for men to match their brand, but black is a universally accepted color.

Unfortunately, some airlines require women to wear heeled shoes — but you can always change back to a pair of more comfortable shoes before and after their scheduled shift. Moreover, female flight attendants can wear boots during the winter months.

Some airlines will also allow employees to wear flats when they’re wearing uniform pants instead of a dress or skirt.

Because flight attendants spend a great amount of time on their feet, it’s important to take care of their feet. Durable leather shoes are the perfect companion for flight attendants.

Depending on your airline, you may only be allowed to wear a certain type of shoe — this will leave you with few options to choose from, especially if you wish to protect your feet from injuries. Keep in mind that most airlines will generally follow similar rules, but they may have specific instructions for uniform standards. Thankfully, there are guidelines that you can follow that will allow you to stick to your company’s shoe standards while also taking care of your feet and letting them breathe.

Shoes when not inflight: These need to be plain and leather, or look like leather, with closed toes, sides, and heels. The width and height of the shoe must not go over 3 inches when measured from the inside of the heel, while the heel height will need to be at least 1 inch. Hard sole shoes will need to be black and have a heel height of at least ¼ inch if worn with uniform pants. Most airlines won’t allow the use of mules, athletic shoes, clogs, or wedges, which is something to keep in mind.

Inflight Shoes: At the very least, the heel will need to be ¼ inch, while following all the requirements already stated above.

Boots: When wearing boots, be sure that the heel won’t exceed 3 inches and that it doesn’t extend above your knee when worn with a dress or skirt. It should also be noted that straps, laces, buttons, and buckles aren’t permitted for boots. Similarly, rain boots and UGG boots aren’t allowed for inflight use.