Survey: How nationality reflects flying habits

A passenger checks her cell phone before a flight in Boston, Oct 31, 2013. [Photo/IC]

A recent survey by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) suggests that passengers’ behavior on board can be predicted by nationality.

The investigation found that passengers of different nationalities tend to act differently, according to approximately1,500 people surveyed from eight countries - the US, UK, Germany, Japan, China, Singapore, Australia and Brazil. For example, Australians drink most on board, Americans tend to work, the British and Germans chat most, and Chinese travelers are big fans of sleeping, shopping and gaming.

The survey said that Chinese travelers are most likely to nod off once the seat belt sign switches off. When they are not busy sleeping and with in-flight gaming, they are also most likely to take out the credit card to shop.

Among those surveyed, Australians are the biggest boozers on board, with 36 percent choosing alcohol drinks, compared to 35 percent of Americans and 33 percent of British.

Brazilians love to keep themselves busy with email, messaging apps and social media, and Americans make use of the time on board to deal with work.

The survey also found that British and German people are most likely to strike up conversations with nearby strangers, and they chat to strangers 50 percent more than other nationalities.