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I know I’m not alone when I say, I think flying has a culture all of its own. There are the agreed rules and etiquettes to follow, when to stand to board, who gets the armrest, what language to use with your fellow passengers and of course what to wear.

So it’s hardly surprising someone felt it was time for a travel guide. And HSBC has come out with their own infographic to help travellers navigate their stay in Flyland. Based on research carried out by British independent research consultancy BDRC, they have boiled down the facts. Most importantly, there are a few hints in there too to help some of us, act in accordance with the accepted norms.

Air travel facts about Flyland

Okay, let’s start with the basics. The population of Flyland is around 11.9 million people. This is the number of people who board a plane on any given day. This means, Flyland has the same number of inhabitants as Cuba. However, Flyland is a rich and prosperous nation with an annual GDP of $400.5bn. This makes it just a little richer than Norway. And puts it in 25th position for the richest nation on Earth. If we reverse engineered that as a per head GDP, it would mean around $79, 600 pa for every man woman and child, making it the wealthiest population in the World.

The lingua Franca in flyland is English. This doesn’t mean everyone onboard always speaks English, but more than half of all flyers have English as a mother tongue and use it. The other half are native Spanish (18%), French (18%) and German (16%) speakers. The average age of the citizens here is 45.3 – in the rest of the world it’s 50 years of age. Nine percent of Flyland is over 65 compared to eight percent worldwide.

The nitty-gritty of Flyland’s culture

In HSBC Flyland, the one percenters fly First Class. Six percent are upper middle class and sitting in Business and 10% are the social climbers, those paying a little extra for premium. Eighty-three percent of the nation are stuck in economy.

The do’s and don’t of Flyland

But just as with any foreign country, there is a list of things as long as my arm which you should avoid doing. These things won’t get you thrown in jail, but will make the natives restless.

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At all costs, please avoid, being rude to the cabin crew, drinking to excess or taking up more than your allocated seat space. Leave your shoes on if your feet smell anything less than rose-like and don’t let your kids kick the back of a seat.

If you’re looking for something fun to do in Flyland, you could try reading a history book – the locals seem to love doing this. You might also want to check out an action movie. But by far the most fascinating thing about Flyland is the forced intimacy. Over half the locals reported enjoying a conversation with a complete stranger and 1 in 50 said they met a lover here. So it’s no wonder it’s such a popular destination – most people here have visited Flyland six times in the last year alone.