Just flew to HNL from the East coast. My normal flights are two 90 minute legs.

Started noticing on the second of four legs that the seat belt sign was on for hours. On the return, I paid more attention...The seat belt sign was off for maybe 20 minutes of the 10+ hours.

There was absolutely no turbulence except on approach and takeoff from SLC and one short bump 45 minutes out of HNL. The latter is what turned the light off after it was on for 20 minutes. It never went back off.

I even mentioned this to the FAs on both flights...they replied "oh, you're right, I'll let them know!" Obviously they didn't or it didn't work.

As an aviator, I would think that the LAST thing you would want to do is train your passengers to ignore ANY of the rules. Clearly after an hour or so people (including me) just became inured of the light and began to ignore it. I even spent 10 minutes in the center hallway stretching and chatting with the seated FA, all while the light was on.

I get (but don't appreciate) that on some short flights they do this to make the beverage service more efficient, but there is no reason to expect that 300 people will be ABLE, much less willing, to sit in the seat of pain for 6 hours at a stretch.

If the enroute weather that day called for light to moderate turbulence across the entire US and Eastern Pacific, then OK, but that would make it the weirdest weather pattern I have ever seen.

Come on, DL...give a guy a break.

[/rant]