‘Hey y’all’ — passengers don’t trust pilots with Southern accents nearly as much as Midwestern pilots

Commercial airline pilots with Texas accents inspire the least amount of confidence in U.S. passengers, according to a study of Americans’ travel habits. But the Wisconsin or Minnesota patois? Passengers seem to prefer that, dontcha know.

Pilots with Southern California accents were also regarded well, though what exactly distinguishes a SoCal accent is unclear.

Surfer lingo?

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 low-cost flights and other travel data.

Fifty-four percent of participants said a pilot’s accent affected their confidence in his or her ability.

They were asked which accents, if any, would fill them with the least confidence, when given a range of English-speaking accents to choose from.

The 5 least confidence-inspiring accents:

1. Texan – 65%
2. New York – 59%
3. General American – 54%
4. Central Canadian – 45%
5. Southwestern U.S. – 37%

The 5 most confidence-inspiring accents:

1. Upper Midwestern – 63%
2. Southern Californian – 58%
3. Great Lakes – 51%
4. British – 47%
5. Eastern New England – 39%

travel@latimes.com