April 06--Airline passengers aren't much for plane talk, according to a new survey.
While people seem to be big sharers online, just 5 percent of fliers say they always speak to their seatmates while flying, according to Chicago-based Go Airport Express, a ground transportation service that in Chicago serves O'Hare and Midway airports.
And of the 736 respondents polled, only one-quarter said they "frequently" speak to their in-flight neighbor.
The most common answer, at 44 percent, was "it depends on who I am sitting next to," while 7 percent said they never speak to people on planes. One in 5 said they chat only if their seatmate initiates the conversation.
"With in-flight programs, high-tech gadgets and Wi-Fi being offered on planes, people are less inclined to entertain themselves with one-on-one conversations while flying," said John McCarthy, president of The Go Group, which owns the ground transport service.
Women were only slightly chattier than men, with 6 percent "always" chatting up their cabin mates, compared with 4 percent of men. When asked about forming an ongoing relationship with someone they met on a plane, 12 percent of men replied yes, compared with 8 percent of women.
gkarp@tribpub.com
