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I think too often “common sense” refers to a superficial understanding of a more nuanced, complicated issue. This is a good example - have they done any robust

by voisin 6y ago

I think too often “common sense” refers to a superficial understanding of a more nuanced, complicated issue. This is a good example - have they done any robust analysis as to whether telling people the weather at their destination actually reduces anxiety? What percent of people didn’t have this information on their phone prior to boarding? And it is preposterous to state they save 10 minutes of loading time by lifting the armrests up - the vast majority of manipulating the armrests (that 2 or 3 seconds he refers to) happens in parallel. How much time did they actually save once they implemented? I bet far less than 10 minutes.

wccrawford 6y ago
Actually, I would bet that most people have no clue what the weather will be like when they land. They probably just don't think about it. But having said that, it's too late now. That information was a lot more useful when they were packing their bags.
- viraptor 6y ago
  It also rarely matters. You're most likely about to catch a taxi/bus/train, spend the next hour under cover/indoors getting to your accommodation, then either go to sleep or start work. Unless I need to find a hurricane shelter, the weather outside at landing time is very likely useless.
  - 4ggr0 6y ago
    I hope the plane does not even start, if the arrival destination is affected by hurricanes ;)
toyg 6y ago
> the vast majority of manipulating the armrests (that 2 or 3 seconds he refers to) happens in parallel Maybe, but holding up the queue at the wrong time (e.g. in the early stages of boarding) can have an outsized impact on the overall result. Keeping armrests up is one of those things I always wanted from an airline. I thought there might have been some reason why they effectively inconvenienced everyone as standard, but apparently not. I wonder if bringing them down is a leftover from the times armrests included an heavily-used ashtray.
falcolas 6y ago
A couple of notes: 1) Knowing is better than not knowing. Even if the information is outside of your control, you now know what to expect. Knowing gives us a feeling of control over a situation, even if we don’t. 1a) Things change in the time you’re in the air. You also have to be proactive to get that information ahead of time, as opposed to passive to hear it from the captain. 2) Little inconveniences add up. Sure, an armrest being down is probably not a thing at all. But it’s annoying when I’m trying to get past it, and I always have to put it up. It’s another straw on the camel’s back. 3) Not having to put the armrests down probably helps with their cleaning times. Again, not a huge amount, but a few minutes for each cleaning job.

by voisin 6y ago

wccrawford 6y ago

Actually, I would bet that most people have no clue what the weather will be like when they land. They probably just don't think about it. But having said that, it's too late now. That information was a lot more useful when they were packing their bags.

viraptor 6y ago
It also rarely matters. You're most likely about to catch a taxi/bus/train, spend the next hour under cover/indoors getting to your accommodation, then either go to sleep or start work. Unless I need to find a hurricane shelter, the weather outside at landing time is very likely useless.
- 4ggr0 6y ago
  I hope the plane does not even start, if the arrival destination is affected by hurricanes ;)

toyg 6y ago

> the vast majority of manipulating the armrests (that 2 or 3 seconds he refers to) happens in parallel Maybe, but holding up the queue at the wrong time (e.g. in the early stages of boarding) can have an outsized impact on the overall result. Keeping armrests up is one of those things I always wanted from an airline. I thought there might have been some reason why they effectively inconvenienced everyone as standard, but apparently not. I wonder if bringing them down is a leftover from the times armrests included an heavily-used ashtray.

falcolas 6y ago

A couple of notes: 1) Knowing is better than not knowing. Even if the information is outside of your control, you now know what to expect. Knowing gives us a feeling of control over a situation, even if we don’t. 1a) Things change in the time you’re in the air. You also have to be proactive to get that information ahead of time, as opposed to passive to hear it from the captain. 2) Little inconveniences add up. Sure, an armrest being down is probably not a thing at all. But it’s annoying when I’m trying to get past it, and I always have to put it up. It’s another straw on the camel’s back. 3) Not having to put the armrests down probably helps with their cleaning times. Again, not a huge amount, but a few minutes for each cleaning job.