SINGAPORE, Jan 21 — For anyone who has had to stuff their coat in the overhead bin compartment four seats down or watch in dismay as their carry-on suitcase is offloaded because of a shortage of space, it will come as no surprise to learn that nearly one in two US travellers said they do all they can to avoid checking their bag.

It’s one of several findings in a new Expedia Passenger Preferences index, which paints a portrait of flyer behaviour around the world.

With checked baggage fees, incidents of lost luggage and tedious waits at the baggage carousel, overhead storage space now comes at a premium, with more and more travellers kicking the habit of checking their bags in favour of packing a single carry-on.

According to the Expedia survey, in the US nearly half (48 per cent) of flyers travel with just a carry-on.

When it comes to in-flight necessities, the most popular item that passengers said they couldn’t live without is water, cited by nearly half (43 per cent) of US flyers as the most important traveling companion.

Mobile devices, headsets, meals and reading material like magazines or newspapers round out the list.

For the survey, more than 11,000 travellers across 22 countries were asked a broad range of questions aimed at finding out how they like to fly.

Survey results also revealed a few cultural differences.

While a quarter of respondents worldwide said they’d be willing to pony up cash for an in-flight meal on a short-haul flight, that figure spikes among Chinese flyers to 45 per cent.

Alcoholic in-flight beverages are most important to Aussie flyers, with 14 per cent naming alcohol among their top five flying essentials.

Singaporeans are most likely to pay for an aisle seat on flights between seven to 12 hours (17 per cent).

While about a quarter of global flyers said they would upgrade to first or business class on a long-haul flight, that figure spikes to 43 per cent among Mexicans and plummets among Canadians who are the least likely to pay for an upgrade.

And when it comes to paying for the privilege of flying in a child-free, quiet zone on long flights, worldwide the most likely flyers to open their wallets hail from Mexico (41 per cent), followed by Thailand (38 per cent) and Taiwan (37 per cent). — AFP-Relaxnews