Airplane Passenger Wakes Up Seatmate

Is it ever okay for a passenger to wake up a seatmate?

Yes if you know them. And you know that they won’t mind being awakened for the free mini pretzels that you can accept and hold for them.

Are you comfortable sleeping on an airplane? Does it depend on the time of day or the length of the flight?

I fall asleep about seventy-five percent of the time. Even when it’s only a two-hour flight. Which is why I try to reserve a window seat because it allows me to lean and get cozy.

On a recent flight, I was fast asleep and wished to remain that way until we landed. Maybe I should have informed the stranger seated next to me.

The ever-so-thoughtful stranger apparently felt it was his duty to robustly nudge me with his elbow to alert me that the flight attendant was at our row taking refreshment orders.

Waking me up from my delicious nap for a bag of pretzels? I couldn’t get annoyed with someone who thought they were being nice by waking me so that I wouldn’t miss out on free mini pretzels.

I attempted a smile and a nod of thanks to my attentive seatmate, as I declined the refreshments. Showing or expressing annoyance would have been rude because in his mind, he was being thoughtful! While I appreciated his intention, I didn’t appreciate cutting my nap short or being elbowed. I made a mental note and found the silver lining, “This will be my next blog post.”

It’s one of those all-too-common travel dilemmas that makes flying such an adventure.

Would you have handled it differently? How so?

Is there an appropriate time to wake up the stranger sitting next to you?

Yes, if the safety-related announcement requires passengers to be alert, fasten seat belt due to expected turbulence, an emergency landing, or you’ve landed and everyone’s getting off the plane.
Yes, if you are sitting in the window or middle seat and need to exit the row.
Yes, if they are yelling or punching due to a nightmare.

If you’re uncomfortable or uncertain, ask a flight attendant to make the decision.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

When someone disturbs us or even inconveniences us, but their intention is good, we can only respond with a tone of appreciation. We can choose to find humor in the situation—sometimes laughter can minimize tension and any embarrassment.

Lastly, maybe this disruption could be an opportunity to make a connection and have an interesting conversation.

The Travel: Flight Attendants Won’t Wake Up

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