Isn’t it a strange thing when you find yourself on an airplane seated next to a complete stranger for several hours?  Not only are you seated next to this person but your arm hairs are touching, you can smell their breath and with one false adjustment you could be sitting in their lap.  Airplanes are known for their close quarters and, even in first-class, your neighbor is no more then an arms length away.  This miniature community provides a very unique vulnerability. You can’t choose to walk away from your seat companion or open the door and exit when you are 15,000 feet and the fasten seat belt sign is illuminated. In these situations you have several options: fake sleep, turn up your ipod, or start a conversation and hope for the best.

Read the rest of this entry »