Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

A French proverb meaning the more it changes the more it stays the same. It was great to fly on a B787-9 from DXB to SPL. The aircraft was spacious and the cabin was probably as advertised.
The IFE was great; the selection was good and the screens were the latest model.

I guess great thanks to Boeing and Technology in this case.

But then you hit what matters; the airline offering to mere mortals in economy class. The same ultra firm cushions that are not the best for an 8 hours flight, specially the bottom cushion. The same food offering that has not changed for years and mostly the professional and cold service offered sometimes with a smile.

A modern aircraft with a great IFE does not constitute a great passenger experience; it certainly helps. It is this human interaction during flight and on ground that matters, a concept that seems to allude most airlines. The lip service and rhetoric of improved on board services still stops at the curtain seperating first and business from economy.

So I suppose, plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose