Yes, yes. I used to pray for an engine failure on the DC-7. They had a special way of thanking you for saving them.:)

Exactly. IROPs--keep the pax informed. Normal flights--keep IFE interruptions and long-winded PAs to the bare minimum. And after landing, stand by the door with your hat on thanking everyone for flying Delta Air Lines!! (if you're so inclined)

I understand what you’re saying. Of course they want us to engage with customers. I stand at the door and say thank you. I make PAs. Passengers enjoy our service/product no doubt. There’s a difference between informing and engaging them and romancing them (think Captain Hollywood).

Quick read: https://loyaltylobby.com/2018/05/30/j-d-power-2018-north-america-airline-satisfaction-study/
“Newer, bigger, better: Annual improvement in overall customer satisfaction is driven by increased satisfaction with the aircraft (+15 points); a better experience with boarding/deplaning/baggage (+10) and reservation (+11); and satisfaction with costs & fees (+8). The attribute contributing to improved customer perceptions of the aircraft is availability of overhead storage, an area in which the study’s top-ranked airlines have recently invested significantly.”

NPS? Number one. Overall satisfaction with the aircraft (+15). How many people a week are traveling on DCI? A 50-seat regional airplane? A delayed Skywest or GoJet airplane? That my friend is where we are losing if you wanna talk NPS and JD Power.

How many people a week pass through Atlanta on a hot summer day in the back of an -88? Plenty of people know what mainline is and aren't thrilled to pay the Delta premium only to be stuck on a Mad Dog.

Yes yes yes yes yes

The good news is that PAs won’t interrupt a movie on the MadDog! :p

I make one “hi, I’m captain 80, callsign D-bag” PA before pushback. Just a quick welcome aboard, flight time, you’ve got monitors so you can see what we’re flying over and our arrival time. Then I throw in the seat belt sign protocol to satisfy the FOM, and tell them that will be our last PA unless anything drastically changes.

Keep it simple and quiet unless absolutely necessary otherwise!

I'd like to see the data that makes a PA good. IROPS, yes. Standing at the door, maybe. The hat gets you requests to park a car at a layover hotel.

Monitors. . .except for the Mad Dogs.

When I DH or commute on equipment with IFE, I use my Ipad for movies to avoid the interruptions. I've seen some passengers do the same.