This was OO? That explains a lot. While I applaud SkyWest's safety record, decent ground handling (relative to other regionals) and generally better working conditions for their staff (again, relative to other regionals), they are notorious for pulling this "abundance of caution" BS. Remember, they are the ones who pretended that the FAA said that nothing other than inflight magazines and the safety card could be in the seat back pocket until a complaint was filed and the FAA sent out a formal rule clarification that wasn't needed. The reality was almost assuredly out of a desire to cut down on repairs of the pockets.