So I just gotta ask. What do you do for a living?

Im always relieved when the seat next to me is vacant. Love the extra personal space.

If however someone else sits next to me I will always say hi and try to 'feel them out'. Have had a couple of polite small talk conversations on board, once helped an older couple work their IFE is the most sociable Ive ever gotten. Asking someones reason for travel would be the extent of it. Never sat next to someone who offered me a great job with a 7 figure salary, or wanted a totally hot make out session, or tried to steal one of my kidneys. Nothing so exciting.

A few years ago while waiting to board an OS flight SYD-KUL-VIE I spied an unpleasant boorish guy who made a racist comment at the gate. I think there was a debate as to whether he was going to be allowed to board. Wouldnt you know it my seat was 32A, he got 32C with (thankfully??) a spare seat inbetween. He introduced himself and made a remark about how hot the crew were and what a big ****** flight we had ahead of us. Without thinking I said with a terrible Europeanish accent, "Im sorry, my English she is bad. I no understand so good". He back off immediately and left me alone the entire flight.

To keep up the pretense I felt I had to stay in character for the duration of the flight with the crew. I do have a German surname and yes I can speak it a LITTLE as growing up it was used in the family home on (drunken) occasion. I was hoping all interaction with the crew would remain at the "Mochten Sie Schinken oder Fisch?" level which was all I felt comfortable with, so as to not blow my cover.

Oh yeah, he disembarked in Malaysia and his seat remained vacant for the onward leg. New crew too so I went back to the English.