Originally Posted by Delta1067

Trip, it's been proven that a prolonged idle descent is more efficient than s slam dunk 5 degree/idle/max speedbrakes. The method you suggested only gets you a few extra minutes at top of cruise and the reduced time at idle negates what fuel you saved by staying high longer. It is also not as friendly when it comes to passenger comfort. Obviously there are times when we need to use speedbrakes but you are missing my point that with better planning we can minimize their usage and save fuel.