Brits chat, Chinese sleep, Australians drink: Survey reveals how your nationality reflects your flying habits

• The Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) spoke to around 1,500 people from eight different countries

• The survey found Australians are the biggest boozers on board with 36 percent choosing to down the hatch

• Brits and Germans spend 50 percent more time chatting to strangers

• And Chinese travelers are most likely to nod off once the seatbelt sign switches off 

Whether you kick back with a glass of wine, immerse yourself in a novel or strike up a conversation with the person seated next to you on a plane can be determined by which nationality is listed on your passport, a survey has claimed.

According to the results of an international passenger investigation, Australians are the biggest boozers on board with 36 percent choosing to down the hatch, compared to 35 percent of Americans and 33 percent of Brits.

The Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) spoke to around 1,500 people, ages 18 and older, who have traveled by plane at least once during the last three months and were living in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, China, Singapore, Australia or Brazil.

The results found Chinese travelers are most likely to nod off once the seatbelt sign switches off. They are also the first to reach for their credit card for some in-flight shopping and the biggest fans of gaming.  

Americans on the other hand like to use their time in the air more productively – when not drinking - opting to work while flying at 35,000 feet.

Meanwhile, Brits and Germans are the best at making chit chat with random strangers – spending 50 percent more time than any other nationalities schmoozing.

Contrastingly, Brazilians conduct their conversations online via email, messaging apps or social media.

Despite plane food having a bad reputation, seven out of 10 respondents said they were happy to chow down on the selection of in-flight snacks and meals.

In-flight magazines were also popular with four out of five passengers claiming to read them.

The international flyers, who traveled on eight major airlines, did however express their desire for better in-flight entertainment and 36 per cent wanted improved connectivity.

‘The industry has greatly improved the comfort, ambience, connectivity and entertainment onboard aircraft, and this data underscores that passengers are embracing those improvements,’ said Russell Lemieux, APEX executive director.

‘At the same time, passengers are demanding more from their air travel experiences which will drive more innovations touching all aspects of the journey,’ he added.

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