Looking for a new idea? Try borrowing an old one

Recently I suggested a new approach to commuter-train overcrowding. It simply involved reformulating the problem by accepting that not all overcrowding is equally bad: 100 people forced to stand 10 per cent of the time do not experience anything like the same irritation as ten people who have to stand 100 per cent of the time. So my suggestion was that a proportion of peak-time train seating — even a few peak-time trains — should be reserved for annual season ticket holders.

But when I mentioned this to a group of engineers, one pointed out something that hadn’t occurred to me: ‘Airlines already do that.’

‘They do?’

‘Well, airlines don’t have season tickets, but they do have frequent flier programmes. Suppose you fly to Frankfurt once a fortnight in economy. After six months or so, you’ll get frequent flier status. Even if you still end up in an economy seat, you can check in at a business-class desk, go through fast-track security, access the business lounge and board early. People who travel most often are most irritated by the on-the-ground experience, so you look after them first.’

Now when you think about it, train and air travel are not all that different. But, strangely, this approach has never migrated from one sector to the other. We just assume that on trains frequent travellers get a season-ticket discount, whereas on planes they get preferential treatment.

Many new ideas aren’t ‘new’ at all. They’re simply old ideas translated into a new setting. But for some reason we are bad at translating ideas across domains. A few months ago, my colleagues were debating why the first five minutes of telephone conference calls were such a mess. ‘Maybe we should borrow the Edwardian dinner party convention? You know, “7.30