Traveling alone on an airplane can be a stressful ordeal. Not only are you without a companion, but you’re also at the mercy of whatever nosy stranger happens to be seated next to you. Most of the time, it’s hell.
But every once in a while, the universe surprises you. And instead of being seated next to a wheezing, coughing, inconsiderate jerk who hogs the armrests — you find yourself sitting beside a charming young girl with one-liners for days!
Twitter user @kati.hartwig works as a digital media specialist for Columbus Regional Airport.
While traveling on a recent flight, Kati had the pleasure of being seated next to a very friendly and self-aware little girl. By Kati’s initial estimate — the child couldn’t have been more than 6-years-old.
Shortly after Kati was seated, her young travel companion informed her that she would most likely be speaking to her at random intervals throughout the flight. It was at this moment that Kati knew she was in for a treat!
Out of the blue, the girl turned to Kati and asked “Hey Kati you know what everyone should do when they get on a plane?”

After pausing to think for a moment, Kati admitted that she didn’t have the answer.
“Thank the Wright brothers ,” was the girl’s deadpan reply.
Kati was taken aback, not expecting the young girl of being able to crack such an intelligent and historically accurate joke. From there on out, Kati kept her phone close at hand — in case the little girl decided to throw out any more one-liners.
It’s a good thing she did because shortly after that, the flight attendants started making their rounds.
“Good timing. I was getting hungry ,” the little girl said to the flight attendant handing out the snack mix.
Once Kati and her new friend had gotten their treats, the two began trying to decide which pictures were best suited for the airline’s social media. “Yeah, keep the camera there,” the little girl instructed Kati. “That way I can see out the window.”
According to Kati, her seatmate got very excited when the plane started to turn.
At least, she thought the plane was turning. Kati tweeted out that the little girl believed the pilots were intentionally tilting the plane so as to give her (and her alone) a better view.
Kati made sure to clarify that not only was the plane not turning but the only aspect of the view that actually improved was that she and her young companion now had a slightly better vantage point of aisle 24.
Later on, Kati nearly fell out of her seat laughing when a girl in the row ahead of them decided to recline her seat.
Kati said that the young girl beside her proceeded to roll her eyes in a manner that only 6-year-old girls are able to do. After the pair of them stifled their laughter, the young girl decided to distract herself by watching some TV.
“Stop it,” Kati tweeted out. “Of all the movies and cartoons on her iPad, she decided to turn on the @southwestair live TV and watch HGTV .”
Kati was so stunned by the girl’s choice that she felt compelled to ask what show she planned on watching.
Without missing a beat, the little girl said that she planned on watching Love It or List It . “I love it, get it?” the girl asked with a wicked smile.
It was at this point that Kati began to wonder if this “little” girl was as young as she appeared to be. “I think she’s actually older than me, tbh,” Kati tweeted out.
Once wheels touched down, Kati quickly realized that she wasn’t the only person in disbelief.
Many of her Twitter followers were questioning the legitimacy of Kati’s tweets, and others outright refused to believe that the entire exchange ever happened at all. So in order to quell the suspicion, Kati made a companion TikTok video wherein she answers Twitter questions and goes over the events of her flight in-depth with her followers.
What’s the best conversation you ever had with a total stranger on a plane? Leave a comment and let us know!