Communication Breakdown

Do you ever hear someone talking and there’s nobody else there except you so you assume they’re talking to you only to find out they’re not talking to you? Yeah, they’re talking into their phone or some similar set-up. Last week, while waiting for my flight to take off, a woman boarded late and had the window seat in my row and I had to move out into the aisle so she could get past my seat. She apologized. I said “no problem”, a typical response, only to find out she was apologizing to the person on the other end of her video chat. This is known as Inappropriate Apology Reception or IAR. It's awkward.

Where does one go with this? Should I have apologized to her for my assuming she had apologized to me even though it would have been perfectly appropriate for her to apologize to me? Do you bring this up mid-flight? “You see, I thought you were apologizing to me for making me leave my seat…” If she didn’t respond you could just pretend that you’re talking on your phone. I should caution that most people know that cell phones don’t work after the plane’s left the ground, but this strategy could perhaps best be used on a bus or train ride.

Why wouldn’t the airline just seat the window seat folks first? Is that asking too much?