"How long were you in the plane?" vs "How long were you on the plane?"

Question

"How long were you in the plane?" vs "How long were you on the plane?"

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'How long were you on the plane?' is the more common and natural way to ask about the duration of a flight. 'How long were you in the plane?' could be used to ask about the duration of time spent inside the plane for a specific purpose.

Last Updated: March 15, 2024

This phrase could be used to ask someone about the duration of time they spent inside the plane, not necessarily during a flight.

Alternatives:

how long were you inside the plane?
how long did you stay in the plane?
how long were you on the aircraft?
how long were you on the flight?
how long were you on board?

This phrase is used to ask someone about the duration of time they spent on a plane during a flight.

Alternatives:

how long was your flight?
how long did you spend on the plane?
how long was the plane journey?
how long did the flight take?
how long was the flight?

Answer 1

How long were you in the plane?

This phrase is correct but less commonly used. It could be used to ask about the duration of time spent inside the plane for a specific purpose.

Answer 2

How long were you on the plane?

This phrase is correct and commonly used to inquire about the duration of a flight.

"How long were you in the plane?" vs "How long were you on the plane?"

How long were you in the plane?

How long were you on the plane?

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