
Don't Lower Your Expectations - jkuria
https://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/dont-lower-your-expectations
======
kornakiewicz
I often find the stoic approach ("don't have external expectations") as one,
which makes me less stressed and able to make better decisions. On the other
hand I try to aim high and achieve more. So it's basically this subtle tension
between both, what works best for me. Choosing only one option probably would
make me either lazy and stagnating, or stressed and miserable.

~~~
bigzen
Do you have any recommendations for books regarding stoicism? I'd like to
learn more.

~~~
vborovikov
Here is a great summary of A Guide to the Good Life:
[http://becomingeden.com/summary-of-a-guide-to-the-good-
life/](http://becomingeden.com/summary-of-a-guide-to-the-good-life/)

------
madengr
So would a seat back video investment been worth it, considering now they are
obsoleted by smartphones?

The operating time of a plane is way longer than infotainment equipment.

That's why I won't buy cars with nav systems, etc. I'll still be driving that
car in 10 year, while the infotainment will be obsolete and unsupported. All I
car for in a car is a way to amplify what's coming out of my phone.

~~~
bruceb
Phones are not bigger than seatback systems. Do people have the time or
remember to load movies ? Make sure their device is charged?

Seatback systems may not be great but they might be good enough to last a
while longer.

~~~
citruspi
> Do people have the time or remember to load movies ?

I'm not sure how prevalent it is, but I know some carriers like United[1] and
Delta[2] (via Gogo) stream media to your personal device over the aircraft's
WiFi.

> Make sure their device is charged?

Many flights now have USB ports and/or power outlets under the seats.

[1]: [https://www.united.com/web/en-
US/content/travel/inflight/ent...](https://www.united.com/web/en-
US/content/travel/inflight/entertainment/personal-device-entertainment.aspx)

[2]: [https://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/traveling-with-
us/on...](https://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/traveling-with-us/onboard-
services/how-to-stream.html)

~~~
jcoffland
Mainly so they can charge you for it. United's app is awful. It barely works
on Android.

~~~
chipperyman573
United is also free to stream movies (or at least, it was when I flew a few
weeks ago).

The wifi is decent - I was able to stream 480p video without interruptions,
which is way better than I expected.

~~~
jcoffland
If you set your expectations low enough any experience can be great. Which
coincidentally is United's new slogan.

------
bruceb
Somewhat related. On the Pitch podcast a guy pitching VR headsets on planes
said those seat back entertainment systems are heavy and cost the airlines $1b
a year in fuel costs.
[https://gimletmedia.com/episode/skylights-s02-ep04/](https://gimletmedia.com/episode/skylights-s02-ep04/)

Company: [http://www.skylights.aero/](http://www.skylights.aero/)

~~~
untog
VR on a plane sounds interesting. But those headsets are pretty bulky right
now, I wouldn't want to be juggling one along with food and everything else.

I'm surprised these AV systems haven't been replaced by cheap Android tablets
- they'd be a hell of a lot cheaper and you could replace them very easily.

~~~
tomjakubowski
Many of those in-flight entertainment systems are Android tablets mounted onto
the seatback. Sometimes if you're lucky you can bail out to the Android home
screen on them.

~~~
ricardobeat
Source? I doubt they would embed lithium batteries into the seats, and every
device I've seen so far is powered on/off along with airplane systems.

~~~
brianwawok
You could both be an android tablet and run off a plug and not have a
battery...

------
pbhjpbhj
How can they afford to make payments on a £2.5B loan but not have £10M? At 5%
interest over 10 years that's a £26M monthly payment; how did that work?

~~~
avn2109
Because they used the 2.5 billion to buy planes which they used to make money.

~~~
pbhjpbhj
They were already making money with the planes they had, realistically they
can't suddenly make £10s of millions more just because they have replaced
those with new planes. They can buy/set up new routes but that's going to be
more cost.

They only way I see it working is something with investors, but how does that
work with a public company, surely not a new share class?

Most likely option I see is that this is mainly spin from Branson??

------
CamperBob2
Instructions unclear. How do I get Boeing to build a dozen 747s for me, right
after a bank refuses to lend me a measly $10 million?

Sure, they can repossess the aircraft if I default, but that's going to cost
them a lot more than $10M by the time the dust settles. On the surface, this
is really a story of arbitrage, where Branson successfully leveraged Boeing's
recklessness against a bank's cowardice.

~~~
micahbright
Boeing has more incentive than the bank. Boeing's profit is likely much higher
than the interest on the deal. That's probably just the cherry on top. The
bank stands to lose the entire principal.

------
ikeboy
Short and to the point. I like it.

------
SallySwanSmith
Sadly I'm forced to lower my expectations when Virgin America was sold to
Alaska :(

~~~
brogrammernot
I've never had a poor experience on Alaska. They're my preferred carrier when
going to SEA.

What don't you like about them?

~~~
losteric
Some people are just irrationally biased against mergers - on my last flight,
the couple next to me could not stop blaming the merger for us leaving SFO 5
minutes late, even when we arrived at SEA on time. It was Friday at 7PM, heavy
travel time for SFO-SEA.

I try to fly Alaska everywhere too - never had a bad experience, on-time every
time.

~~~
tsunamifury
Ugly old planes, sub par soft and hard product. Walmart level quality brand
etc. the basics work, but everything else is crap.

Virgin was he king of American airline quality and raised the bar for the
whole industry.

~~~
Aloha
The oldest part of their fleet are B734's of which they have 5 (plus I think
some Combi's which only service Alaska) all of those are due to be gone by the
end of 2017. The rest of their fleet is B737/B738/B739's - all but 30 are
B738/B739's.

In fact among legacy carriers Alaska has the youngest fleet age of any of
them. Alaska also has excellent on-time and baggage performance - among the
best, if not the best in the industry.

------
micahbright
So 250 times the debt? Sounds like a deal :/

~~~
ams6110
Bank loan to outfit airplanes with seatback video -- easy "no" for the bank,
it's dependent on the airline's ability to repay, with little recourse if the
can't.

Boeing financing sale or lease of 12 new aircraft? Easy yes -- the aircraft is
an asset generating revenue for them, and can be repossessed if Virgin doesn't
make the payments.

Same reason that a person who can't get a $5,000 unsecured personal loan at a
bank can often finance a $50,000 new car.

~~~
micahbright
>Same reason that a person who can't get a $5,000 unsecured personal loan at a
bank can often finance a $50,000 new car.

So borrowing money and living outside of your means is now a success story?

~~~
emerongi
How did you arrive at that??

~~~
micahbright
If you can't follow a thread, don't comment.

------
user5994461
That sounds right for her diet.

~~~
DerpyBaby123
That is rude and uncalled for.

~~~
jcoffland
How is that rude? You can't get around the fact that bananas are vegan.

~~~
pacaro
The question is not whether a banana is vegan, but whether it constitutes a
meal.

In particular, think of this in the context of the customer experience.

~~~
user5994461
That is a meal for a vegan.

Source: vegan friends.

~~~
jcoffland
Apparently airlines also think a banana is a good gluten free meal.

[http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-
advice/banana-g...](http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-
advice/banana-gluten-free-meal-ana-all-nippon-airways-martin-pavelka-special-
airline-meals-a7714626.html)

------
omot
Richard Branson is such an inspiration for me. A billionaire with dyslexia who
would've thought!

------
dasil003
To paraphrase Merlin Mann: that's fine for Richard Branson.

------
_jal
I hate seat-back video on planes. I really, really don't need some flickering
screen a foot from my face for hours on end. My only interaction with them is
whacking the off-button until it finally acquiesces.

From a strictly selfish point of view, the only positive feature I can think
of is that they can hypnotize some (but not all) children who would otherwise
be annoying.

~~~
Noumenon72
Even other people's seatback videos are distracting. Negative innovation for
me.

