Study: Passenger Confidence Affected By Pilot's Accent
(CBS Local) -- Welcome aboard y'all!
When you fly, does a pilot's accent affect your confidence in his or her ability? 54 percent of people say yes it does, according to a new survey.
And wouldn't you know, passengers trust Midwestern pilots more than pilots with Southern accents, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.
The survey of 4,207 Americans, all of whom had flown at least once in the previous 12 months, was conducted by Jetcost, a site that searches and compares prices for flights, hotels and car rentals.
Given a range of English-speaking accents to choose from, they were asked which accents, if any, would fill them with the least confidence.
The five least confidence-inspiring accents:
Texan – 65 percent
New York – 59 percent
General American – 54 percent
Central Canadian – 45 percent
Southwestern U.S. – 37 percent
The five most confidence-inspiring accents:
Upper Midwestern – 63 percent
Southern Californian – 58 percent
Great Lakes – 51 percent
British – 47 percent
Eastern New England – 39 percent