I will NOT be shusshed on a daytime flight!!!!!
 

I've posted about being shusshed on overnight trans-oceanic flights, and I think we can all agree that requests for near-total quiet on such flights are reasonable if reasonably made.

Yesterday, however, flying SXM-CLT in USAir coach (ugh) my GF and I were lucky enough to have an empty seat between us. This flight departed SXM at 2:30pm and arrived CLT at 5:30pm, all EDT.

So we were having a conversation leaning over toward each other over the empty middle seat. We were practically whispering and our faces were about 8 inches apart, but because the lady in front of our empty middle seat had reclined her seat her head was about a foot away from ours. About an hour into the flight she got up and went to the back. A couple minutes later a FA came over and VERY apologetically asked if we could please be quiet, as our constant talking was bothering another passenger. She said she had seen we were leaning in talking quietly so said she just wasn't telling us we were doing anything wrong, she was just passing on a message.

Well it was obvious who the complainer was, so I pulled out a pair of spare UA-supplied earplugs and politely offered them to the lady in front of us saying 'I'm sorry our whispering is bothering you. Here, you can have these earplugs if you want. But this is a daytime flight so I'm going to keep talking to my girlfriend now.'

She just ignored me.

But then an hour later turned around and said the word 'Shush!'

I couldn't help it I just laughed. Actually we both did. And I offered her the earplugs again, but she went back to ignoring me and we went back to talking.

Anyway, I just want to say for the 1000th time: particularly on a daytime flight, you are responsible for your own sound and light control. Want to nap? Bring (or kindly accept if offered) ear plugs. Have your own eye shades.

That is all.

[/rant]

you were more than considerate afaic and after the offer of earplugs to the dykwia in the row in front of you i would have simply ignored her (tho perhaps also go to the back of the bus and explain to the fa/ what you offered and apologize in advance to the f/a if the pax continues to complain)

you must learn how to do crying baby and screaming 2 yo. and maybe get some diaper fudge aerosol.

Agree with the gist, it does sound she was over-sensitive.

but... I think conversation should always be quiet. Voice, properly moderated, need not travel much further than the intended recipient. I shouldn't have to baffle my senses because someone else over-projects.

Come on Koko.... you were too kind.

You should have had some x-rated loving conversation.... either she would have reclined to really listen or been so embarassed that she would have raised her seat... :D

Well not much X-rated stuff, but there WAS some cooing and wuvvy-dovvy stuff. :o :D

But really mostly we were talking about, you know, travel and miles and upcoming trips and holiday plans and so forth. And I SWEAR, we were speaking in whisper tone...or else I might have even felt slightly bad because it was a pretty quiet flight with many folks appearing sun-drunk and/or hung over from a long weekend in the islands.

Really though, we couldn't have been any quieter and still heard each other. And I am CERTAINLY not going to cease all conversation on a daytime flight because another passenger has an expectation that everyone on the plane will be silent for her. I guess I shouldn't be surprised at how selfish and self-centered people can be. :(

As I say, if she wants absolute silence she needs to take personal responsibility for it...especially since I even offered to help her do that! @:-) ^

Edited to add: BTW, it just occurred to me that part of the issue here is that US has removed ALL IFE from this long flight so ill-prepared people that might normally be watching a movie or Buntings Window on the World on daytime flights are instead sitting there staring at the seat in front of them....

I second both approaches!

The lady was probably frustrated in love, if you know what I mean.

On the reverse side, I know I have a very strong voice and it can be bothersome. I have to make a real effort to tone it down (no, I am not deaf just a very resonant voice, but not a good singer unfortunately). So from time to time I will get requests to tone it down and I apologetically comply because I know these requests are probably justified. They have gotten less as I am getting older. I don't know whether that is because I have better control over my loudness or because I am older and thus people dare less to complain than with a really young lad.

Till

8 inches?
 

But wait...you had a middle seat between you! Did you say? So, why didn't one of you move so that you could sit closer and perhaps talk in an even quieter whisper less than 8 inches apart. Whispering...kind of wonder with all that background engine noise, if you could hear anything.
Agree that earplugs are an essential ingredient in any day or night plane travel. And she was free or not to accept your offer. Should take care of all needs. I don't think I would have accepted ear plug offer from stranger (carry my own) unless they were in a sealed plastic, you know, earplugs and cleanliness and all that, you understand.
Well, rant, rant, go ahead. Flying is hard, and there is always someone annoying and inconsiderate. Just last night on flight from FRA I had someone moving my bag in the overhead just before departure, even though there was lots of room..and silly fellow got really testy with me when I asked him to refrain from moving my bag (from flat to sideways, where it would get scratched by someone's buckle or bag...). Stay calm and carry on.

Hey, shussh you guys, this is an airplane, not a nightclub! Some of us are trying to get some rest here!

It is surprising to me how many fairly frequent flyers are too cheap to buy eyeshades and earplugs (and possibly even noise-cancelling headphones). You never know when you are going to get the screaming baby next to you. Earplugs and noise-cancelling headphones will keep you from going crazy (although you will still hear the baby).

Well by having the seat empty between us we were able to turn our bodies and be looking at each other while we were leaning toward each other and talking....and leaning in further...and...well... ;)

I digress.

Point being our voices were oriented toward each other, not forward as they would have been were we sitting directly next to each other.

And we did have a small picnic of snacks going on on the seat between us at one point, too. ^

I do have to say that having an empty middle seat in Y is more or less equivalent to being in FC on one of those crappy US 757s that only have 8 FC seats way up at the front of the cabin. :rolleyes:

Shush.

I think you're well within your rights to ask for some courtesy and consideration when someone is shifting gear trying to find a space in the overhead bin, but "refrain from moving my bag" seems a bit much. It is pretty annoying when people can't figure out how to put their rollerbags in wheels-first so that more than 2 bags can fit in a bin.

Ugh...you weren't making those disgusting smooching noises, were you? :)

I have some especially LOUD AND ANNOYING opera DVDs you can borrow for your next flight :D :D