Are YOU a Normal Flier?

A data story on US Flying Culture.

Built by Jennifer Guo, Glen Liu, Mohamed Baker Al Duraji III for CS 171: Visualization, Fall 2023

When it comes to flying, we all have our own habits and preferences. Today, we want to get a better sense of how people fly by answering two questions, one macroscopic and one microscopic:

How do people in the US fly?
How do people behave on flights?

Our goal is to understand what is usual and what is not usual (statistically speaking) when it comes to flying, and we invite you to join us on this journey across the skies.

First, we examine the macroscopic data behind flight frequency, airport arrivals, and airport departures.

The American Web of Air Travel Routes

Peaks & Troughs in Monthly Air Travel Volume

How are people flying over time?

Which airports have the worst delays?

Departure Delay
Arrival Delay

We now narrow our focus to examining the behavior of passengers on flights. Have you ever wondered how you should act on a flight, or what is considered common courtesy? If so, then these next couple of visualizations are for you. Before seeing how people across the country behave, we encourage you to think about how you act on flights by answering these questions for yourself:

Do you recline your seat?
Would you wake up a sleeping passenger to use the restroom?
Do you ever start a conversation with your seatmate?

Generally speaking, is it rude to say more than a few words to the stranger sitting next to you on a plane?

What do Americans think proper flying etiquette is?

Do people who fly more tend to recline their seat more?

It's somewhat subtle, but as people travel more, they tend to find certain "ruder" things to be more acceptable, such as reclining your seat or waking up the person next to you to go to the bathroom. This makes sense, for if a passenger travels more, they would be more comfortable on an airplane, and thus more comfortable making such decisions. For instance, while 17% of fliers who fly "once a year or less" said that they "always" recline their seat, 33% of fliers who fly "every day" said that they "always" recline their seat.

We hope that our visualizations helped you get a better sense of what kind of flier you are. However, the most important thing is to remember that every flier is unique, from the flights that they take to their flying behavior on an airplane. And that is totally okay!

Thank you for joining us on this journey across the skies!