A minor, but not unimportant, factor was the wishes of the distinguished passengers.
It sees the work of ferrying distinguished passengers as "just a thing we do in our spare time" - not a mission, but a job.
"So, how are our distinguished passengers faring?"
Those three were but few of the many distinguished passengers.
He stepped on the gas so hard he nearly lost his distinguished passengers overboard.
The young captain looked relieved that he hadn't had to deliver the bad news to his distinguished passenger himself.
"I'm afraid it's improperly closed," he said through the speaking tube, to his distinguished passenger.
Morgan could tell from Chang's voice that, for all his annoyance, he felt a considerable admiration for his distinguished and difficult passenger.
Others would be doing the navigating and engineering and maintaining crew discipline and so on while he socialized with the distinguished passengers.
Have to keep our distinguished passenger happy.