Originally Posted by
gitismatt
if you frequently pass through DTW or MSP, i wouldnt be surprised about someone asking an asian passenger if he or she speaks english. those are gateways for the pacific destinations. it's probably a little presumptuous, but it's a fair question in those locales
Considering that there are 15 million people who identify as Asian American in the US, I think it more than a bit presumptious to ask if they speak English. I would strongly suspect that both MSP (esp MSP) and DTW see far more Asian Americans than they do foreign-born Asians, despite being gateways. Would we all be okay with folks in ATL asking random African Americans if they speak English, just because they have a few flights to Africa?
It might be a fair question if you are working a flight to a foreign locale, but at security at the airport, for instance, it does strike me as pretty ridiculous and more than a little presumptuous.