That day, I was flying to a conference with two more experienced colleagues. The plane was almost entirely filled with people from our industry, which created a certain familiarity.
Pushing my way through the aisle and greeting familiar faces, I walked to my seat… and found that a woman, apparently in her thirties, was already sitting in my seat.
She wore oversized sunglasses and studio headphones that covered almost her entire head, and seemed lost in her own world. Her hands were perfectly positioned in her lap, and her head was slightly tilted, as if she were asleep—though she was far from fully seated.
I tried to talk to her. Nothing. I tapped her on the shoulder several times. Still no response. Finally, when she “woke up,” I politely indicated that this was my place.
Her answer? She simply pointed to her headphones, shrugged, and pretended not to hear.
“Maybe you could take them off?” I suggested calmly.
Still nothing. Then I took out my ticket and clearly showed my seat number.
She reacted as if to some revelation, with a theatrical “Oooh,” then shifted slightly and made a vague gesture for me to pass.
At that moment I lost my patience – loud enough for everyone on the plane to hear me:
“It’s not me getting on, it’s you!”
At that moment, half of the passengers looked up…
What happened shocked everyone. 😱😱
It all started on a flight to a professional conference. I was with two senior colleagues, and practically the entire plane was filled with people from the same industry.
When I reached my row, I found a woman in her thirties already sitting in my seat. Oversized sunglasses, studio headphones on her ears—she looked as if she didn’t want to be disturbed.
I tried to talk to her several times, but she didn’t respond. When she finally did, I tried to calmly explain that I was in the right place. Her response? A shrug and a blank stare.
After showing her my ticket, she barely moved, making a vague gesture for me to pass. At that moment, I couldn’t stand it any longer and, loud enough for the passengers around me to hear, said, “It’s not me getting in, it’s you!” She immediately moved to a window seat without saying a word.
I thought everything was settled, but apparently she still had something to say. Right after takeoff, she offered to swap seats, “if I was interested.” I politely declined.
She later returned with the same offer, this time for “my friends.” She insisted I tell her if I’d asked my colleagues. Even after repeating this several times during the flight, I still didn’t understand what she was hoping for in return.
