How to Survive a Flight with a Terrible Neighbor
If you are flying alone, you can’t predict who will take the seat next to you. But you can try to make the flight comfortable, even if your neighbor is not the most pleasant person.
1. Take earplugs or noise-canceling headphones to the cabin
If there is a passenger next to you who immediately falls asleep and starts snoring loudly after takeoff, you may feel uncomfortable. Sometimes it is also difficult to relax if there are parents sitting next to you with crying or loudly talking children. Moreover, adults are not always able to calm the little ones. It is not easy for both of them if the flight lasts several hours, and the children do not tolerate the flight very well.
So stock up on earplugs. Some airlines offer passengers a travel kit that already contains them, but it is better to take your own – the ones that you are sure of the reliability. Another option is your favorite headphones, which will help you to isolate yourself from the noise in the cabin.
2. Think in advance about what you will do during the flight
Download your favorite movies, TV series, music, audiobooks to your smartphone or tablet. It is better to download audio and video with a reserve – this way you will be able to choose what to listen to or watch. If the neighbor next to you turns out to be too talkative, and you do not want to talk, you will have a good reason to be silent. You can say that you are tired and intend to rest, put on headphones and turn on music, a podcast or a movie.
The same method can work if the person in the next seat is trying to offend you or draw you into an argument. Do not respond to their attacks. Politely say that you would like to be silent, and immediately put on headphones. If the neighbor sees that you are not listening to him, he will most likely calm down.
3. Politely talk to the neighbor
This is an effective method for any misunderstanding. It will help if your neighbor puts their carry-on baggage under your seat, talks too loudly on the phone (if there is mobile coverage in the cabin), listens to music or watches a movie without headphones. Politely but firmly ask them to stop. Sometimes this is enough for the person to stop inconveniencing you. If they refuse, contact the flight attendants.
It often happens that the person next to you is nervous and cannot calm down. And in such cases, a short conversation is sometimes the most effective way to relieve tension. Ask your neighbor if everything is okay. Maybe they suffer from aerophobia and are unable to cope with their emotions. In this case, you can tell them that aviation is a safe form of transport. Thus, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the probability of dying in flight in 2023 was only 0.03%. Experts have calculated that a passenger would have to fly every day for 103,239 years for this to happen to them. That is, there is practically nothing to be afraid of.
But statistics in such a situation will not calm everyone down. Sometimes a person is afraid of being that loser out of a thousand lucky ones who may suffer. Therefore, it is better to talk about abstract topics. For example, find out if a neighbor has been to the city where the plane is heading, ask about his impressions. Recall other trips, ask for advice on where to relax. Or just tell a funny story.
Often, a few minutes of such a conversation is enough for a person to stop worrying. This means that the atmosphere in the cabin has become calmer.
4. Create a physical barrier
This technique will help if there is an annoying neighbor nearby. The one who is ready to constantly be indignant and complain, and also turn to you so that you share his indignation. Sometimes even a symbolic barrier helps to protect yourself from such people.
Therefore, take a small pillow on the flight and use it as a barrier. Or ask the flight attendants for a blanket and wrap yourself in it. Put on a hood. These simple techniques will help you feel “at home”. And they will show your neighbor that you are not at all in the mood to communicate.