A woman has sparked debate after sharing an awkward encounter with a stranger on a flight, but some believe she was right to stand her ground rather than make small talk
She was travelling alone on the plane (stock)(Image: Getty Images)
When boarding a plane, most people worry about their seating arrangements and whether they’ll have enough legroom. But one traveller was left feeling uncomfortable after a man deliberately changed seats to sit next to her on a plane before striking up a conversation.
She had simply wanted to spend the flight relaxing and listening to music, rather than making small talk with a stranger for two hours. Taking to Reddit, she explained: “This happened on a flight last week and I still can’t stop thinking about it. I was flying by myself. I picked a window seat on purpose so I could sleep and avoid talking to anyone.
“I had my headphones on before I even sat down. The middle seat beside me was empty when we got on. Maybe ten minutes before take off, a guy who had an aisle seat a few rows back decided to switch and planted himself right next to me.”
She says the man didn’t ask whether the seat was available or if she minded him sitting there, instead making himself comfortable before immediately starting a conversation.
She continued: “He asked where I was going, how long the flight was for me, whether it was work or leisure.
“I answered the first two because he caught me off guard. Then I kind of turned back toward the window and put my headphones back on.”
However, the man allegedly continued trying to get her attention, even tapping her arm and insisting he was “only trying to be nice” and that chatting would help the flight go faster.
‘He went quiet and sulky’
She added: “I told him I was really hoping to sleep and wasn’t up for talking. He gave a little laugh and said, ‘come on it’s only two hours.’
“I said pretty plainly that I really didn’t want to chat and turned away again. After that he went quiet and sulky and I heard him mumble something about people being antisocial.”
When she arrived at her destination, she met up with a friend and explained what had happened – but their reaction left her questioning whether she’d been unreasonable.
She said: “The friend I was meeting at my destination said I was rude and could have just talked to him for a while.
“But I had my headphones in. He changed seats to sit next to me. He ignored the first hint. And he kept pushing after I was direct.
“I don’t think I did anything wrong but his huffy reaction made me doubt myself for a second.”
‘A stranger who won’t take a hint sounds exhausting’
Wanting to know whether others would have handled the situation differently, she turned to social media to ask for their opinions.
One user said: “The arm tapping after the headphones went back on is what really makes it creepy.
“At that point he knew the conversation was over and decided his need for company mattered more than someone else’s comfort.
“Two hours next to a stranger who won’t take a hint sounds exhausting. Is this conversation helpful so far?”
Another added: “‘Trying to be nice’ would have been his leaving the person alone who put out all the signals that they wanted to be left alone, and then used clear words to say so.
“They were being very rude and quite selfish, the exact opposite of what they purported being.”
A third user said: “I fail to see why your friend has to get involved in your perception of ‘I do not want to talk to this guy’. I would have cut him off faster.”
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