Study: American Travelers Are More Frugal On Short Flights
On short-haul flights, 15% of Americans are willing to fork over the dough for a full meal, compared with 26% of travelers worldwide. In comparison, 45% of Chinese travelers are cool with paying for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, a survey from Expedia of more than 11,000 travelers from 22 countries
But once a flight clocks in at seven to 12 hours, Americans can no longer tough things out and are willing to pay for extra legroom, or a sandwich, or an adult beverage (or two): 49% of U.S. travelers say they’re willing pay for that meal, 55% spend on extra legroom, and 28% are willing to part with their cash for an alcoholic drink.
Which makes sense — I can survive two hours without a snack but you ask me to wait to eat for eight hours and I will not be a pleasant seatmate.
Canadians are among the most frugal, with only 43% willing to pay for an entire meal on a long flight, 39% for extra legroom, and 13% for a drink.
“Americans enjoy in-flight extras, but not at the expense of their pocketbooks,” said Dave McNamee, Expedia travel expert. “This study found Americans want amenities; however, whether they take advantage of them often depends on the length of time spent without them.”
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