Expedia.com.au survey reveals how Aussie men and women pass the time in the air
Sydney, 24 May 2011 – With many international flights lasting more than 20 hours, the dilemma for Aussie travellers is how to pass the time in the air. New research* conducted by online travel company Expedia.com.au has found the age-old saying that ‘men are from Mars and women are from Venus’ holds true in mid-air, with each favouring a different way to pass the time.
Thanks to sophisticated in-flight entertainment systems, which now offer hundreds of movies, TV shows and videogames, unsurprisingly, Aussie men can’t wait to test it out, with over two thirds (67%) opting to use technology to make the hours fly by. Conversely, Aussie women are shunning in-flight technology with over half (55%) preferring to immerse themselves in a good book.
In spite of these differences, Aussie men and women are in agreement that being stuck in a confined space for a long time was the number one air travel gripe, with the lack of seat comfort coming in second. Turbulence and passing time in airports were also high on the list of top air travel dislikes.
To make the flight as comfortable as possible, travellers should use travel tools such as Expedia.com.au’s SeatGuru®, which enables travellers to view and select the best seats via colour-coded aircraft seat maps on certain international flights. Travellers are then able to request specific seats as part of their booking on Expedia.com.au, thereby ensuring that travellers fly more comfortably.
Despite Australians being a friendly nation, striking up conversations with other passengers was something to avoid with only around one in 10 Aussies willing to chat with fellow passengers. One in seven men (15%) admitted to flirting with a member of the aircrew during the flight. Love can also often blossom in the sky with 4% of flyers admitting to having a relationship with someone they met during the flight.
Joana Barros, Senior Manager Marketing of Expedia.com.au, said: “At Expedia, we believe choice is a necessity not a luxury. Things like selecting the right seat to ensure a comfortable flight are a priority for us to bring to our customers. To help travellers consider their options they should utilise Expedia’s unique SeatGuru® functionality to review and select the perfect seat when booking flights”, Ms Barros said.
“Expedia customers can also rest easy when passing time in the air in the knowledge they are getting great value for money and paying no flight booking fees”, Ms Barros said.
