Do you talk to people on planes?

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knoxd

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Jun 20, 2005
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I was wondering whether most of you talk to others on flights?

I try to avoid it. Had this woman stare at me the whole flight because i was ignoring her. She was desperate to talk to someone. I hadn't sleept for a long while and i wasn't interested in acquiring a single serving friend.
I looked like a scruffing bag full of doodoo. Certainly was so glad to fall into bed when i got home.

The FA kept smiling at me, and kept asking me if I was ok and needed another drink of booze.
 
I normally say g'day to me seat partner and am happy to leave it at that. If they want to converse I will allow it to go for a while if they seem interesting. When I have had enough I pick up a magazine or don the Shure E3s.
 
My take exactly NM. I'm happy to say hi and have a brief conversation and even an extended one if interesting.
But at some stage I like to just settle in and have a quiet flight. So on with the headset.
On one flight Home from New York I happened to be sitting next to the CFO of my employer. I thought I recognised him. We still only had a brief chat about our travels, how often and the demands of the business and that was about it.
I find a little polite conversation or even just a hello is not too difficult to do.
I've also noticed that there seems to be a lot more conversation between passengers on US flights then there are on aussie flights. The americans just seem a lot more likely to start a conversation.
 
As I sit on the aisles, I'm usually there before my seatmates. So I'll say g'day.

Not much talk before take-off and as soon as I get to cruising (or before :shock: ) I'll break out the laptop, put in a CD, out in the earphones and start working.

I'm a friendly soul and will chat over meals, but will politely excuse myself to go back to work.

I find it's usually night-time flights where a shared taste of red wine will loosen tongues (because often we're on our way home and don't want to work). I've met some great FF's and introduced a couple to FT (via them seeing the bag tags). On a short flight, I find I'll chat from meal service to landing. On longer flights, there are the meal time chats.

Thankfully, on my international sectors these days, I have Mrs LW sitting next to me. She's always up for a chat.... :D
 
On domestic flights I either read the newspaper or sit there with my eyes closed and pretent to sleep. I prefer to not talk to other pax on those flights, unless of course you know the person.

However, on long haul flights such as SYD-LAX I thinks it only polite to have a "brief" chat to someone who is going to be seated next to you for the next 14 hrs. In saying that, it is always nice being in say 2B in F where you don't have to talk with anyone, and your closest neighbour is some distance away. I am always concerned that if I do strike up a conversation with another pax he/she might turn out to be a nutter and bug you for the rest of your flight.
 
I think it is always polite to say hello to the person sitting next to you.

Conversations can be helpful during take off, landing, and meal times. As long people respect your privacy when sleeping or watching a movie.

When I was lucky enough to be upgraded to business class SYD-BKK last year I was seated next to a lovely elderly lady. She was very easy to talk to, short conversations to break the boredom. She made that trip a lot more pleasant. On the return flight again BKK-SYD upgraded to business class again and was seated next to a businessman who normally travels to Europe a few times a year. Pays for economy and upgrades to business using points. Another pleasant flight and good conversation.

I wish I had a long conversation the time I flew ATH-JFK on TWA and this gorgeous female FA fell in love with my Aussie accent and she just wanted to listen to me talk. Stupid me hadn't slept all night so I was too tired and wanted to sleep as I had a 7 hour bus trip the night before and waited at the airport for 5 hours before departure. She ignored me for the rest the flight. Damn. Lesson learnt, never ignore a gorgeous woman. :(
 
I generally try to have a bit of a chat, but not too much.

I was on a flight from Brisbane to Melbourne in J a couple of weeks ago and the woman I was sitting next to was a snooty looking lady who didn't even bother to say hi as I climbed over her to my window seat.

So I made it my challenge to get her to talk to me - even if it was just a sentence. As it turns out, she was up for a chat, and... she was the wife of a rather famous federal politican - we ended up chatting the whole way to Melbourne!
 
Yeah like to say "Hello". Sometimes up for a chat, and have had some good ones at times.

Depends on my mood really and how captivating the other person is!
 
I typically educate those next to me if invited to.

For example, somebody wearing a Che T-shirt is clearly inviting me to educate them about the devilish evils of socialism and how the human race will only be happy and prosperous when we embrace capitalism and universal firearm ownership.

Filthy hippies.
 
I'm not much of a one for chatting. G'day when we meet, a bit of chat here and there, but mostly I'm happy to stick my head out the window as far as it will go, work on the laptop, or watch a movie. Or read - I've always got a book on me if all else fails.

Coming back from LAX last trip the chap on the aisle (middle seat empty) said he'd made the same trip several times a year for the past twenty. Married an American and his life was eternal winter, with his house in Vermont the base for skiing holidays and his Aussie house on the Sunshine Coast home for the Northern summer. Living in Canberra, I can think of worse places to winter than Noosa!

Anyway, he was quite the frequent flyer, with the noise-cancelling headphones, sundry cushions and gadgets and we chatted a bit. His wife was beside him, across the aisle, so he directed his attention that way a fair bit. But I was happy to talk about flying with him.

On the outward leg to Singapore the 747 was packed. Chap beside me was a young English doctor heading home from a term in Oz, and beside him was a nurse heading off to England for a year's work. Chatting is a mild word for how they spent 90% of the flight!

But I'm not much of a one for chatting, and my preference is for as empty a plane as possible.

Martin Bryant - the Port Arthur bloke - used to travel a lot. He'd pick flights that were likely to be crowded so he could have a captive audience. Can you imagine flying across the Pacific with Martin Bryant bending your ear?
 
Geez, G'day Scott! Fancy meeting you here!

Peter Mac
 
Skyring said:
Martin Bryant - the Port Arthur bloke - used to travel a lot. He'd pick flights that were likely to be crowded so he could have a captive audience. Can you imagine flying across the Pacific with Martin Bryant bending your ear?

I would have shot him.
 
Well i do say "hello" when i sit down.
I must have had a bad run or three..

I have meet some really nice people though.
A couple were going to NY to see there niece get married on rhode island..
Had some very helpful hints and tips about flying. The husband had flown that many times in and out of turkey that he had millions of points that could only be used in turkey.

Meet a young couple coming home from ARL. They went over to visit the brother doing his PhD in Sweden. Had some rather interesting things to say about where to live the UK. The husband was a journo for a car magazine.. He travels to all the big car races around the world.

I do try to blend in and be the grey man as much as possible.. Don't really like telling people to much about what i do. Told one lady in DFW i was a drag queen. She looked at me rather strangley and buzzed off.. Worked rather well i thought.

and no i am not a drag queen.. I have just been taught to be cautious..
 
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Seated 16A on Mumbai-Sydney last week. In the centre seat was a sizeable mother holding what appeared to be a 14 year old "baby" and on the aisle seat was her husband, whom I dubbed "Elephantus", the largest man on the subcontinent.

Lady was lovely to chat to and she was apologetic about the next 12 hours of torment I was about to be subjected to from her naughty progeny. The husband was irate with the hostess, remarkably, that even though he had only paid for the 2 seats, he still was in disbelief that he was not given a 3rd seat. Wonderful performance.

They were all relocated after takeoff to another aisle where the armrests were moveable.

I recall not being too disappointed that I had noone to chat to for the next 12 hours.
 
Ordinarily, I don't really say much aside from gday to the people next to me, but if they start talking and I feel like it, I will have a conversation. Normally pretty innocuous stuff, but sometimes there will be someone in the same field as me, can have some interesting discussions.
 
I am concious of always being more willing to talk in J rather than Y. Maybe it is a space thing? A few decent wines always help!
 
stuandmel said:
I am concious of always being more willing to talk in J rather than Y. Maybe it is a space thing? A few decent wines always help!

Go on, admit it - it's got more to do with the company.
 
shillard said:
I typically educate those next to me if invited to.

For example, somebody wearing a Che T-shirt is clearly inviting me to educate them about the devilish evils of socialism and how the human race will only be happy and prosperous when we embrace capitalism and universal firearm ownership.

Filthy hippies.

Love your post :!: Being an old resident of Byron Bay however, I'm not sure how my surfing (hippy?) friends would feel :eek: .
 
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