Flessenpost 2: In-flight chit chat

After leaving the airplane from a 15hr flight with a phone number in my hand, it got me wondering about the weird social dynamics airplanes impose. The moment that door closes, the seatbelt sign goes on, you’re locked for the next 1 to 15hrs with a bunch of strangers in a small metal tin. No escape, no way out and whether you like it or not, within seconds you have an opinion about the person sitting next to you and they about you. The handsome stranger, the business man, the couple on vacation, the weirdo you don’t really trust, the mom visiting her kids, the baby that is going to cry etc. And even though you can desperately try to watch a movie, take a nap or just avoid conversation in general, humans are pretty social beings, so sooner rather than later, one of those strangers will feel the need to talk to you and the second stage of your love/hate relationship has started.

Yep, somehow people have the tendency to start talking to me, preferably tell me their whole life story. The Australian guy with a Peruvian wife doing business in the Netherlands, the Arabian woman who migrated to Australia 11yrs ago, the traveling journalist looking for a break-through, the Indonesian man who lost everything except his passport and boarding pass by falling asleep at the gate, the guy with a fear of flying, the backpacker excited for his first big trip. I fell in love, got annoyed by the person taking up 3 seats who was almost sleeping in my lap, had an instant hate of crying babies and shared deep meaningless conversations about life, the universe and everything. Some stories you remember, others fade away the moment you arrive at your destination.

The more memorable ones include a job offer I unfortunately had to decline, babysitting an 8-year-old for 2 hours, who was travelling by himself, and a 10-hr. romance with the handsome Norwegian guy sitting next to me; somehow being the only Europeans on board an all Asian filled plane creates that first spark. Yep flying can be quite interesting.

However, there is always that silent agreement that the moment the doors of the airplane open, whatever the relationship was (love, hate, annoyance, friendship) is over. Everyone goes their own separate ways. Alright, I admit it, I am still in touch with a couple of people I met during my flights. Hmm, maybe I should give that new phone number a try.