This survey was conducted by the US Airline Passenger Experience Association and covered a total of 1,500 passengers aged 18 and above from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, China, Singapore, Australia, and Brazil—all of whom had taken at least one flight in the past three months.
The survey found that Chinese passengers are the most likely to nap on planes, and they are also the most enthusiastic about using credit cards for in-flight shopping and playing games. American passengers, on the other hand, make fuller and more efficient use of their time—as long as they’re not drunk. In addition, Brits and Germans are the best at striking up random conversations with strangers, spending 50% more time chatting than passengers from other countries. By contrast, Brazilians prefer to communicate with others via email, messaging apps, and social media.
Although airplane food is often considered unappetizing, 70% of passengers still say they enjoy it. In-flight magazines are also quite popular, with 80% of passengers willing to read them. For international passengers who have flown with the world’s top eight airlines, the choice of leisure activities during the journey really matters. “The development of the aviation industry has greatly improved the comfort, ambiance, connectivity, and in-flight leisure options on planes. These figures also show that passengers welcome these improvements,” said Russell Lemieux, General Manager of the US Airline Passenger Experience Association. “At the same time, passengers’ increasingly high expectations for air travel have driven comprehensive innovation across the aviation industry.”