Hi, I have a question about when I'm in an airplane.

Question

Hi, I'm 16-year-old Japanese boy. I'll visit Canada next week with my family and have a question. I asked the same question to some friends, but I'd like to know more opinions. When I'm in a plane, it is natural to talk to someone sitting next to me? I hear Europeans are more friendly than Asians. I don't know about how long would be good for talking and what to talk about. Some may feel unconfortable when asked about their purpose of flying, sometimes just talking to them may make them feel unconfortable, so I'm not sure if it's good to talk with them. Do you speak to someone sitting next to you in a plane? Do you have any other advice about what I should be care about in a plane?

Answer 1

Well hopefully you and your family all got seats next to each other, but if not you don't really have to say anything to the person next to you.  Airplanes have movies and stuff for you to watch and they probably have a laptop or a potable dvd player that their listning to anyway.  Just put on some headphones and listen to some music or a movie.  Plus a lot of people fall asleep on planes too, so that could help you.  But other than that there's not really much talking going on in a plane.  I mean once it's in the air.  

Answer 2

You should kind of play it by ear.  I have traveled alone before and enjoyed conversation with the person seated next to me.  Then other times it was obvious that the person had no desire to talk.  Usually, if they are reading a book or looking at a computer, they are not interested in conversation.

Hope you have a good flight and enjoy Canada.

Answer 3

You'll find a mixed bag of people out there.. so first test the waters with some light conversation like "Hi.." with a smile and get a feel for how responsive they are.

If they start reading or put on the headphones its an easy answer (no).

But its definitely not rude to try with some small-talk over a flight.  It only gets impolite if they send obvious clues like turning towards the window, and you keep pushing over & over for more conversation.

Answer 4

I personally am not much a chatterbox when I fly.  Some people like to yak it up too much, but like others said if you want to keep to yourself, read a book or put on headphones and either listen to music or watch the movie.  Most people get a pretty good idea on whether you are interested in conversation or not.

Answer 5

I love talking to people on planes, and have made some good friends that way.  I agree with the other answers, that you have to read the response from others, to see if they want to talk to you.  I would encourage you to speak up first, as it's a pretty safe place to talk to people you don't know.  The flight attendants might even put you in a seat next to someone near your age, which makes it easier.  Also, as a pilot, I often travel in uniform.  I actually like people to ask me questions about flying in general, but some pilots don't want to be bothered.  Just ask something and see what kind of reaction you get.

Also, don't judge people based upon what they look like.  I have met many people of all types, and they never cease to amaze me.  There are cultural differences, but if an asian person is from America, they may seem different than one that was raised in say, China.  So, you never know.

Answer 6

Yeah, asians are real a******s.