Heading home after a guided food-tour excursion in Mexico with her girlfriends, Gretchen Stelter settled into her window seat in business class on American Airlines and began editing a book manuscript for her new job.
The 42-year-old editor, worried about a fast-approaching deadline, said she hoped her open laptop and the AirPods in her ears would discourage the chatty passenger next to her. When her plan failed, Stelter said, she “gave up” on work and made small talk with the man during…
