The Mk3's had an unregulated supply, and using them (probably still the case) meant that you could get a power surge which would fry the transformer or the electronics, hence why they were placed under the luggage racks.
Re the businessmen, yes there are some right arseholes out there but to be truthful they are not normally those who are actually in important positions.
Take for example a situation which occurred to me recently.
I was sat in my seat (a four bay) and a chap sat diagonally opposite , that way we both had leg room.
Another chap came along who knew this chap and sat in the two bay alongside.
A sort of three way conversation started up and rather than the guy having to talk across the gangway, I suggested he came and sat in the four bay alongside me, and opposite his friend. Which he duly did.
Now along comes the at-seat stewardess ( who I know). The second guy was extremely rude off-hand and abrupt, indeed unecessarily so. By comparison I was polite and pleasant to the lady.
When I broached this with him, his view was that she was no more than a "serving wench".
Journey goes on, and through a comment it became obvious that I worked in the Industry, at which point there was a noticeable change in the 2nd man's attitude to me, indeed from then on he made a pointed comment about me being in a Union, and then went on to talk about his Gold hotel loyalty card and all his "benefits". :roll:
Quite clearly the guy was as superficial as light make up, but as obnoxious and supercillious as they come. deferring only to those who were of "better station", so to speak. So the level of car was critical (he drives a Merc), the number of holidays, the slow crawl up the Corporate ladder, etc.
Back comes the stewardess later to do the refills and pointedly ignores this individual, who then makes a sarcastic comment to her. She retorts to him that he had waved her away and was both rude and ignorant and she was not prepared to be treated like something he had trodden in on the street.
She then said that she had been pleasant to me as "he is one of the regular customers and he always treats us courteously, rather than like dirt"
Queue comment from second man about "oh he is one of you", Stewardess retorts, "No Sir he is not one of US, he is a regular customer whom I know holds a senior position and travels worldwide." She then walks off.
Second man then asks if I do, and I say yes. I also have a couple of hotel loyalty cards indeed I have several which are Gold and above. I keep them in the wallet with my KLM Platinum Card. Lets se if your hotel is one of them (it wasn't).
Suddenly the **** realises I am not now what he thinks I was, and that by his own pathetic standards I am actually "above him" in the Loyalty card stakes, as well as the flyer programme :roll: :roll: :roll:
Fortunately by this time, Coventry was on the horizon where he got off without even a goodbye to me.
His friend (the first man) who had said very little up to then was somewhat apologetic, explaining that his friend was currently acting in a management position, and this he felt explained an awful lot.
I pointed out a good Manager is one who is able to bring the staff along with them, and would never treat any person as an inferior.
I have met those sort of people before, and as you say they are the ones who sit in reserved seats and make a fuss, because it is the only time they can exercise "power".
You can always tell the genuinely senior people a mile off. They are invariable polite and never act like a petulant child. It is not how they achieve their positions.
