Meh. I’ve had experiences where “Hello” led to unwanted trip-long yammering. I’d rather be perceived an ass than sit there while a bore refuses to stop.
Not United. I recall one flight where I had an 8 year old girl next to me in first class. Turned out she was on a regular shuttle between one divorced parent and the other for the weekend.
Turns out she had almost as many frequent flier miles as I did and was a very savvy traveler. Much more savvy that many adults I have sat next to.
It totally depends on the person, but yes, sometimes I’ll chat, usually just for a minute, but sometimes much longer. Have met a few very interesting people. Only one weirdo, and she was across the aisle, so it was easy to end the conversation once it became apparent she was “off”.
On a short flight (Sydney-Melbourne), yes. On a longer flight (Sydney-London), no. The person may be one of those ones who won’t shut up. I can put up with that for an hour or so, but not for 24 hours.
I say hello, but try to keep it short. I’ve had the misfortune to sit next to, among others, a woman who showed me photos of her many dead cats (when they were alive when photographed, fortunately) and a woman who asked me where I went to high school, insulted the school and then told me about all the fantastic schools her kids go to.
I’ve always said “hey” to the person next to me when I sit down. They invariably started talking to me without other provocation. I didn’t mind talking to them. One old lady had a tin of cookies she shared with me. Score!
Wait. British Airways counts as a site?
I’d be too busy hyperventilating to talk to anybody on a flight. I’ve been on a plane only twice due to my fear of heights. As far as buses, I learned very quickly the person who will talk to you on a bus is not a person you want to talk to.
As far as I can recall I’ve only been tempted to talk to someone on a plane once. The guy next to me was (discreetly) reading an interview with Steve Martin in Playboy. I was going to ask him if I could read the interview when he was finished with the magazine but I didn’t want to embarrass him or have him think I was a crazy lady.
I only did this once because I thought the woman’s story was interesting. She was probably 30 years my senior and mentioned how much she was enjoying her first “Mystery Tour.” I had never heard the phrase and asked what she meant.
Apparently, she and a group of friends had booked this tour through a travel agency and it involves boarding a flight from home to begin your two week adventure but you have no idea where you’re going until you either get on board the plane or land at your destination. The tour involves several flights and cities over the two weeks and she thoroughly enjoyed the idea of not knowing where she would be tomorrow. The conversation was about where she had recently been and what she did and how much she enjoyed the adventure.
She was a fascinating, intelligent person and I enjoyed the conversation.
This was a duplicate post.
I don’t travel any more but when I did, I often had interesting conversations with people who were sitting next to me. I wouldn’t freeze anyone out unless I was desperate for a nap.
God no. I’ve spent plenty of time on trains and buses - less time on planes - and I prefer we all pretend we are alone. I am sleeping, looking out the window or have my nose in my book.
Sometimes I’ve gotten seated next to someone chatty, and unless they’re a man trying to flirt with me, it’s not the worst thing. Once as a kid I spent 10 hours on the bus with the most fascinating elderly woman who told me her entire family (wealthy, Southern, former plantation owners) and life history (married 3 times, lived all around the country) - I’m still considering writing a book about her.
I totally ignore the people around me. Once I put my headphones on and close my eyes, they generally get the hint.
I always initiate a conversation with the person next to me. Sometimes it is just a few pleasantries and the conversation is over until we land and wish each other a good trip. Rarely, the person doesn’t respond at all. Quite often we talk on and off throughout the flight. Sometimes, we talk for 6 hours straight. Two or three of the most fascinating conversations in my life were with total strangers on a plane.
I like to sit by the window and board at the last minute, so my usual opening line is “Excuse me, I think you’re sitting in my seat”, which happens 80% of the time. They always looked slightly surprised that I have a ticket for ‘their’ seat, and then move a row forward or back to the aisle seat.
But as to the OP - I’ll strike up a conversation if the occasion warrants it. The last 30 minutes is a great idea, though. I think I’ll steal that.
I had a really great conversation, hours and hours of it, with a woman I met on a flight from LAX to Heathrow. One of the best conversations I’ve ever had with someone I just met. We hugged each other when we parted ways to get to our connecting flights. We still keep in touch over email. I didn’t used to always say hello. Now I do.
You can meet insufferable bores anywhere. You can also meet awesome people. It’s pretty hard to tell the difference without saying hello. Why not take a chance?
Exchanging pleasantries or having a brief conversation with someone then excusing yourself to read is perfectly polite. Acting like you can’t even hear them saying hello is incredibly rude.
Sometimes, it depends on their demeanor. If I’m seated first, I might say “hi” and mumble something generally pleasant. If they clam up, I bust out my book. (or if they bust out their book - I get mine out too.)
But, I have had fun multi-hour conversations on planes with folks that are interested in chatting. The only one I remember off hand was flying out of Philly, and stuck on the tarmac for a while. I was chatting with the guy next to me, and offered him a starburst, and from there it was starburst and chit chat the whole time. It was pleasant, we had pretty similar philosophies, so it was nice. Learned some things I did not know. I think the starburst prolonged it, but I was getting dry-mouth and wanted one, and I don’t like being a greedy jerk when I’m enjoying something like that. Who doesn’t like starburst??
On a plane, OK, once in awhile. But I’m not going to respond to your conversational pleasantries when you’re at the next urinal.
Pervert.