I flew into Newark on June 11 to experience an unexpectedly hot, mid-Spring day: bright sunlight, high humidity, real temps near 90°F, feels-like temps 4°F-5°F higher. Less than the all-time high but 10°F warmer than average for the date, I sweated profusely as I dragged my bags from Newark to Penn Station and onto Grand Central Terminal to catch a train to Connecticut.
My surprise was not warranted, as after stopping at the gate the aircraft’s air conditioners cranked to 11, flooding the cabin with cooler/colder air. I fairly regularly and yet had never experienced that; a request to pull down the window shades, yes, but not DefCon 5 AC! Perhaps a more aggressive approach is required in Newark to maintain passenger comfort. Perhaps the plane had a quick turnaround. Whatever the reason, it caught me off-guard.
