An Airbus representative walks into the China Airlines boardroom and is greeted by members of their interior amenities and design team.
China Airlines: Good morning.
Airbus: Bonjour, good morning.
CA: We’re really impressed with the work you’ve done on this latest batch of A330s.
A: Thank you. We worked really hard on the precise colour of lilac to be used for the seat upholstery.
CA: We can tell; it looks perfect. Listen: we asked to meet with you today to discuss the in-flight entertainment system and amenities.
A: Sure. What would you like to have? We can put screens in the seatbacks or overhead —
CA: Seatbacks would be perfect.
A: Great. And touch screen or remote control?
CA: How about both? And what kind of touch screen are you using? Is it capacitive or the same crappy resistive touch screen that has been used for decades?
The Airbus rep sighs from embarrassment.
A: Resistive. We’ve been trying to improve —
CA: They’ll never get better. Fine. What else?
A: Well, there’s a small crescent of space left on the sides of the display. What would you like to put there?
CA: Well, what do most airlines put there? It’s not a lot of space.
A: These days, most of our customers are putting at least a single power outlet in there, or perhaps a USB port for power.
CA: No, nobody’s going to use that. I can think of something better.