Traveling on Planes, by Lizzie Rielly

One of the main reasons I wanted to study abroad was to travel all around Europe and experience new cultures. This means I would be on planes, trains, and buses a lot but I have never minded traveling like other people who find it stressful or exhausting. Luckily, there are many airlines that offer inexpensive flights direct from Sevilla, so I have been able to travel almost every weekend. By the end of my time abroad I will have taken 27 flights. That number is very alarming, but I have had mostly fun and enjoyable experiences on planes. One of my first flights was to Oktoberfest in Munich. The flight attendants were super fun and since most people were going for Oktoberfest, it was a rowdy flight. This is when I first noticed the major differences between traveling in America and traveling through Europe.

 
Every time I get on a plane, I am not sure if I should say hola, hello, hallo, hej, kaixo, etc. The flight attendants always speak English, but the other main language varies based on where you are traveling to or from. When there is an announcement from the pilot, flight attendant, or automatic message, it will say it in two or more languages, but in America, it is only ever English.

One thing that is different between the two cultures is how people behave on planes. As we have learned in class on our lessons of social behaviors and social development across cultures, Spanish people are generally more social than American people in all aspects of life, and even when traveling. Here, people travel in groups with their friends or family. Many people in America travel by themselves to visit family or go to work conferences, meetings, etc. In Spain, on the plane, people often get out of their seats and stand in the aisles talking to their friends. This would not fly (no pun intended) in America. You are allowed to unfasten your seatbelt when the seatbelt sign is turned off, but flight attendants will not let you stand in the aisles because it blocks the way when people are trying to go to the bathroom or when they are passing through the cabin giving out food and drinks. The last flight I was on, this group of 5 young women were traveling together and every 10 minutes one of them would come and talk to the girl sitting next to me for a little while, then return to their seats. Also, when the plane lands there is a big difference in how people act. Most notably, Spanish people clap for the plane landing. This is very strange in America and there is a joke that people who clap when the plane lands are weird. I don’t know why people do it, but I have noticed how most of my flights end with a round of applause from the passengers. This is especially prevalent on RyanAir and Vueling flights that have a lot of turbulence and sketchy landings.

Another big difference between traveling on planes in America and Europe has to do with the prices. The flights themselves are very cheap, but there are many added costs and hidden fees when you get further down the line. For example, there are no free snacks on the plane and you have to pay for overhead luggage or to pick your own seat. In America, most planes have all these features included in the price.

 BBC: ‘Ryanair set to cut winter fares to boost demand’

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-59117027