Gift of the Gab

After a hectic business trip, many travellers want to flop aboard their flight to relax, read or catch a quick nap. But often their plans are foiled by a chatty seat mate who doesn’t seem to recognise—or chooses to ignore—their nonverbal cues asking for some solitude. Some frequent fliers have developed strategies to beat back annoying conversationalists—from the nearly rude to the subtle and often effective.
Attorney Hollie Reedy of Columbus said her husband, Rocko, a rock-and-roll production manager, throws a blanket over his head and tells the flight attendant in earshot of his seat mate that he’ll be sleeping and is not to be disturbed—even during meal service.

‘‘That gets the message across clearly,’’ she said. Robert Salmon of Maryland sends a different kind of message. Whenever he flies on Southwest Airlines, Salmon dons on a surgical mask in the boarding area. It’s not that he has a breathing disorder or an infectious disease. Since Southwest has an open-seating policy, Salmon uses the mask to discourage people from sitting next to him.

The most popular strategy readers use to avoid unwanted conversations is to wear headphones, even if there is no music playing. They also suggested not making eye contact with the seat mate. Perhaps the most effective way to silence the chatter would be a simple: ‘‘I’m sorry, I want to focus on my book or work.’’ But that was the least preferred method.

‘‘I have not been able to figure out which words to use to not make it sound rude,’’ said Washington attorney Keith Dunn. Instead, Dunn whips out his headset. And if the traveller keeps talking, Dunn pulls out his CD collection of Public Enemy, Eminem and D-12. ‘‘I guess there’s something about seeing a 45-year-old white guy with this rap music that makes them think this is not exactly the kind of person I want to converse with on a trip,’’ Dunn said. David Whitman of Maryland buries his head in a newspaper or a book because ‘‘most people don’t interrupt a reader.’’ he said.

For some travellers, fake language barriers sometimes do the trick. Hector Sanchez of Rockville often glances at his talkative seat mates, smiles and, in his best thick Spanish accent, says, ‘‘No hablo ingles.’’

The ruse often gets Sanchez out of a pesky conversation unless, he said, his seat mate also speaks Spanish.

New York Times News Service