I will say hello but thats about it. I like to watch the movie read etc and couldn't be bothered to talk for 4 plus hours!! We don't really make friends either, out holidays are about our little family (4 of us) being together as Hubby works away and we don't get a lot of time together.

Always say Hello and it depends on the impression I get of them whether I make small talk- if anybody talks to me I will talk back but I do like to read on the plane, so other than finding out where they're staying, I don't really bother with much more conversation.

as i usual grab a window seat and oh has a middle seat, the chance to talk doesn't often arise, but i do remember one flight home, we were seated in isle seats next to me was an Anglo/Arab woman and her husband had the window, he was chief surgeon at a hospital in Berkshire i believe, and his wife a nervous flyer, I spent nearly all the flight talking her through what was happening, the different noises etc..

i normally put my mp3 player on [so i cant here the OH] and gaze through the window the whole trip [my pet hate is being disturbed by people getting up and down for the loo]

wiz

i always grab the window seat and as there are 4 of us its usually 3 + 1 so im with the kids and hubby usually sits with whoever the other side of the aisle and he sticks his headphones on and either watches a film or listens to music, this year i have selected our seats and have chosen a 2 + 2 but ill still have a window seat and let my daughter talk to whoever is sat next to her

On my first ever trip to Chicago I was sat next to a dear old American lady who was part of a group returning to the US after a European tour. I was going over to visit American schools. She chatted to me about Chicago for hours telling me the history of the placeand all the good places to see. Then she arranged to swap seats with other members of her group who were retired teacheras so we could talk shop for the rest of the flight. During the week my colleagues were amazed at how much stuff I already knew when we were out and about the city!

3 yrs ago flying to rimini, got talking to the couple next to me, the guys wife asked, is that a glasgow acent, which I replied, yes

Turns out they were also from the glasgow area, as we talked, I talked about where i work , and live, and most shocking thing was, they were from the same town, we both could not believe, increadiable

I do talk to other passengers when travelling, not in regards to flying, but when I have been on trains and ferries lately I'm good at talking although the other person tends to start talking to me first.

Ok, tell a lie I wasn't very chatting in the morning travelling to Ireland especially as I felt incredibly sick.

If I'm travelling on an early flight I usually want to try and sleep. Even if not I'm not likely to be in a fit state for conversation! Otherwise I'm happy to chat to anyone who wants to chat. It's usually fairly clear if someone doesn't want to chat, in which case I'll just read a book.

I've had many interesting conversations when travelling alone, including on a flight to Tunisia chatting to someone who was involved with organising the Hammamet festival. On another flight to Tunisia a man travelling for business ended up offering me a job in Singapore! (It was sales with languages) I didn't take him up on it as sales isn't my thing.

Generally, I always used to be sat with the kids while Rob had the aisle seat opposite..so my conversation was based around them..

since we have travelled on our own, I generally say enough to be polite and thats that...I am quite a shy person and only really exchange pleasantries..and tbh, theat the way I like it.

The same as Hi de Hi, on my last visit to the USA (New York in my case) I sat next to a very charming elderly lady on the outward flight and allthough I had read the guide books and done lots of internet research she gave me loads of extra information about things to see and do. We chatted for a large portion of the 8hr flight and the time passed by really quickly.
Normally on short haul flights I will say hello to my fellow passengers but then I usually read a book, on long haul flights I listen to my music or watch the films for most of the journey so I rarely get involved in a conversation but I did chat to another woman on the shuttle bus from my hotel to Gatwick Airport 20years ago and we discovered that we were both going to China on a Kuoni Tour. We became firm friends during the tour and have since taken a few holidays together, in fact we have just booked to go to Oman in October.

Judith

I don't like travelling and spend most of the time with either a headache or fighting nausea so tend not to speak to fellow travellers. Usually sit with my family anyway. One flight we had to Salou I had an adorable 2 years girl sitting beside me who was flying with her Granny who sat opposite. Asked Granny if the bairn was aloud a lollipop to suck on takeoff, she wasn't. Granny eventually gave her a toffee which the bairn didnt like and I ended up with it stuck to my jeans somehow. I also ended up wearing her juice drink, airline meal and snot when she sneezed. Really couldn't wait to get of that flight cos I really thought I was going to be sick.

I'll give a polite smile as I sit down but don't strike up conversation. I like doing my own thing on a flight, watching a film or reading my book! Last year on the plane I was sat next to a right git who sighed every time I moved, he ruined my flight and made me feel really uncomfortable, then he spilt his juice down him and I had to pretend I was laughing at the film

I ususally say hello and something about holidays etc, then I am naughty and make a judgement whether I want to chat to the person (they are probably doing the same about me ) and If I do (and they do) then chat, otherwise I might put specs on and read quietly.l

Coming home from one of our holidays in Turkey, we were on the coach back with a really ignorant person who had HATED the resort (which we loved, are going back for the fourth time since in less than 22 months in a few weeks), and was constantly talking about how rude the turks were, and being really offensive about it. We prayed we wouldn't get them on our flight (the coach picked up for 3 flights), but it turned out OH was sitting next to him We hadn't even taken off and my OH had asked him politely to keep his opinions to themselves, as they were racist, offensive and we didn't agree with them in the slightest (the stewardess backed him up). As soon as the seatbelt sign was turned off OH was offered another seat...this man didn't shut up throughout the flight, even when he went to sleep 30mins before landing he snored extremly loudly!

Have never met such a rude man before.....luckily we are normally all in a line together

Not really! I'm usually engrossed in books or magazines during flights. If not I'm talking to the people I'm flying with. I tend to keep myself to myself! If someone says hello then I'll be polite and say hello back but I don't tend to go out of my way to have conversations with people.

I have no choice, hubby on one side, the bairn on the other!
Hubby is usually stuck on the aisle seat so he'll have a natter and if the conversation is good I'll join in.

As most flights weve been on our rows of three there and theres five of us, me and my youngest child always tend to sit seperatley and have someone next to us, normally my daugher will start off cracking conversation with the person. She will offer them any food/sweet/chocolate substance she has, then from how they respond to her i decide whether to attempt a conversation.
When coming back from turkey last year we had a lady sat next to us he didn`t do anything but moan about everything to herself, unfortunantly my daughter hasn`t learnt to be tactful and quiet loudly told her to be quiet and stop her moaning as it was doing her head in......

i have been fortunate enough to travel the globe without my o.h. on incentive trips with ford, so have had plenty of journeys sat next to strangers.
i know i have met many interesting characters during these journeys but cant remember any specific tale to mention here.

the worst one which i can vividly remember was being sat next to a fellow dealer from the east coast flying out of Chicago o'hare on a Mcdonald douglas d.c.10 when we ran in to trouble and had to return to the airport after first dumping off fuel to make an emergency landing! how scary was that.! (my fellow traveller was talking but due to the curcamstances he wasnt making much sense )

nice to be able to tell the tale on here though.



Eifion.

I always say "hello" when I sit down and can usually tell if I'm sitting next to a happy person or a miserable git.
Most people I've chatted to are very nice and the conversation revolves around were we are staying and were we have holidayed before.

Last year we were sat next to a single man, him near the window, hubby in the middle and me on the aisle, my husband is no company as he sleeps through most of the flight so he was getting fed up with us talking over him