Centives

We may never get to travel in it but at least we can read about it. Jad Mouawad looked at the battle for business class:

• While business and first class seats only make up about 10% of a plane, they account for up to half the revenue of airlines.
• Thus the airlines are locked in fierce competition over attracting business class customers. For an airline making and installing a business class seat can cost up to $80,000. A first-class seat up to $500,000.
• A seat has to be a working desk, an entertainment hub, a dinner table, and a bed. And it must be comfortable in each of these positions.
• Since airlines, by definition, cross countries and cultures, they must also fit the body shape and type of people from around the world.
• Business class rose in popularity during the 90s when planes could increasingly fly nonstop to any place on earth and people needed to actually be able to sleep on the flights.
• Middle Eastern and Asian carriers really upped the luxury levels for business class passengers with large bars and full-flat beds.
• It’s a popular class because often the travelers don’t pay for it themselves. Instead they have corporate expense accounts that they can bill the flight too.
• The business class experience and seat is one of the few things that airlines can control and use to differentiate themselves in the airline market.
• Making seats as big as possible while fitting as many of them as possible into a cabin is the goal for every airline. Some innovations include having half the passengers sitting backwards and facing each other, or fitting the legs of the passenger under the armrest of the passenger in front of them.
• What’s in store for the future of business class? Maybe seats with cup holders.

The full article talks about why features such as “massage chairs” are increasingly being dropped from airplanes, how business class affects economy class and much more. It’s well worth a read. Find it here.

Source: The New York Times

Via: The Economist

James McLauchlin wrote about Hollywood’s go-to blacksmith:

• Tony Swatton grew up reading fantasy and science fiction books. He used to visualize the armor and weaponry from the stories.
• An enthusiast, he was unable to afford replicas and so he began to build his own.
• This turned into a business called The Sword and the Stone which can charge up to $100,000 for armor projects.
• The swords in Pirates of the Caribbean and the Infinity Gauntlet from Thor were made by Swatton.
• But his expertise isn’t limited to the film industry. Rihanna, Katy Perry and Britney Spears have worn his armor in music videos.
• Swatton can work up to 18 hours a day and drink 4 gallons of water without needing a bathroom break – the fluid is sweated out.

Read more about Swatton, other films his work has appeared in, the celebrities he’s met, and more over here.

Source: Wired

Despite being made of so little women’s swimsuits cost so much. Why? Megan Wiegand answered:

• The small size of swimsuits makes them more difficult to work with. The woman is wearing less and so they’re more critical of their bodies. The swimsuit must do a perfect job of fitting the wearer.
• A swimsuit will ideally compress some places while revealing others.
• It can’t ride up or come undone when somebody dives, swims, or runs.
• It has to be able to withstand a variety of conditions including water, salt, chlorine, sun, and sand.
• Swimsuits are stretchy and stretchy fabrics are more expensive than standard ones.
• They stay on store shelves for a brief time and so manufacturers have less flexibility in terms of when they’re produced. This tight timetable means fewer manufacturer discounts.

Read more about how the rise of ecommerce is changing things, how you can find cheaper swimsuits, what experts think, the opportunity in plus-size swimwear, and more over here.

Source: Slate

Kara Kovalchik wrote about 11 Things We No Longer See in Movie Theaters. Highlights include:

• Cry rooms. In the past theaters would offer a special soundproofed room with a clear glass window so that parents could take their crying children to a place where they wouldn’t disturb other moviegoers, while still allowing the parents to enjoy the movie.
• Double features. Back in the day audiences would be outraged at the idea of seeing only one movie. A ticket bought you admission to two movies – the headliner, and then an older or less well-received film.
• Newsreels. Before the age of widely available television, footage of major news events would be shown in movie theaters.
• Ashtrays. Cup holders are a relatively recent feature of theaters, having first become popular in the late 1960s, and still not available in older cinema halls. But every seat did once have an ashtray.
• Dish Night. In a bid to draw audiences when money was tight during the great depression, theaters would give away dishware such as coffee cups or dinner plates once a week.

Find the entire list over here.

Source: Mental Floss

Parkour, or free running, has mainstream attention that is leading to its commercialization writes Samantha Storey:

• In the Parkour gyms that have popped up across the United States it’s possible to have a child’s birthday party for as little as $450.
• Special parkour gloves can be bought for $34.50. Shoes for $60.
• An international parkour organization also offers insurance policies and teacher certification courses.
• Red Bull hosts an annual free running contest.
• Parkour enthusiasts are horrified at this commoditization of their beloved sport. In particular they abhor the idea of people engaged in free running indoors. It was created for urban environments.
• The gyms, for their part, usually make their interiors look as urban as possible – with indoor graffiti and handrails that mimic the outdoors.

Read more about why doing parkour in a gym is like “asking swimmers to perfect the breaststroke on grass”, the video games that are increasingly showcasing the activity, and more over here.

Source: The New York Times

Enjoyed the episode of Breaking Bad yesterday? Megan Kamerick and Chris Gray Faust both wrote about the economic impact that Breaking Bad is having on Albuquerque – the New Mexican city which the show is set in:

• Each episode results in $1 million in direct spending in the city.
• A tourist industry has also sprung up around the show. For $65 visitors can take a 3.5 hour trip of 13 famous locations from the show.
• It is possible to buy bags of blue rock candy that resembles the blue meth depicted in Breaking Bad.
• “Bathing Bad” makes bath salts that promises to “relax away the bad”.
• Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, the stars of the show, also bought houses in Albuquerque to live in while they were filming.
• Some aren’t happy that New Mexico – which has the highest overdose rate in the United States – has become popular for a show about meth.

If you’re a fan of the show (and, let’s face it, it seems like most people are) you’ll enjoy the articles here and here.

Source: NPR, USA Today

McDonald’s Egg McMuffin turns 40 this year. Adweek took look at its history:

• In 1971 McDonald’s executives were trying to figure out how McDonald’s could build a breakfast business.
• The Egg McMuffin was the answer. After the initial challenge of convincing customers to come to a fast-food join in the morning, the item was a hit, and now breakfast items make up 25% of McDonald’s sales.
• The Egg McMuffin is so popular that the company is considering making the item available all day.

Read more about the pale imitation that is the Eggwhite Delite, how McDonald’s competitors caught up to it, and more over here.

Source: AdWeek

Ben Fritz wrote about how the rising Latino population in the United States is shaping the American film industry:

• Latinos enjoy watching movies. While 15% of Americans over the age of 12 are Latinos, they account for 25% of all movie tickets sold in the United States.
• Hispanics often go to the movies in groups of four or more, and are more likely to watch movies with extended family members. Thus movie viewership rates are higher in part because it is seen as a group activity.
• This is good news for an industry that is looking for some. Studios are increasingly tailoring films to draw a Latino audience.
• Hispanics like action-adventure, horror, and animated movies. They are less interested in movies based on books such as Harry Potter or James Bond.
• Latino actors are also increasingly being cast in movie roles.
• AMC – the second largest cinema chain in the United States – looks at the proportion of Latinos in a given area before deciding to renovate a theater.

Read more about the use of apps, how many movies Latinos watch a year, and how this relates to Fast and Furious over here.

Source: The Wall Street Journal