Daylight Savings Time.....To be or not to be

Here is the latest on the daylight savings time debate. It looks like it will be eliminated. I think we are currently on savings time so after we "fall back" it will stay that way?

https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/one-step-closer-to-ending-mx-dst/?utm_source=jeeng&utm_medium=webpush

As usual AMLO is doing the opposite of what other countries will or have done, which is to stay on Daylight Savings.  

AMLO's plan will give us shorter winter daylight in the evening.  Most people prefer the opposite and want DST made permanent.

Here's where US is heading,  US to Make DST Permanent

What Year Round DST Means

Geez, this is going to screw up tv show times.

The US briefly went to non-changing times (I think it was all DST) during the 70s, and it was so bad, they switched back within the same year. The issue is that in more northern/southern countries, there is a larger time shift (less so as you approach the equator), and the time zones are wide, so if you stay on a set time--doesn't matter it it's standard or daylight savings--part of your time zone will be out of synch with reality. In the US, it meant the western half of the Eastern time zone had darkness until 1000 am, so children went to school in pitch darkness every morning for Winter and Spring. That's a no-go.

Mexico has less of a time shirt, and it's narrower, as is its time zones, so the problem may not be as severe. Also, the US population is more spread out than Mexico's, so the issue is basically how Mexico City and Guadalajara "feel" about it, and they're in the same zone. We'll see.

Another issue in the States was states north/south of each other with different times, which caused havoc. I grew up near the Indiana-Michigan line, and it was a source of constant friction, although not a show-stopper. Mexico traditionally gives its northern states the right to keep time in synch with their US neighbors, but if they keep doing that, there will be a line between Mexican states, which may cause confusion.

As to the arguments for/against, it really very easy. Changing doesn't save much energy, but it does "give" people more access to daylight during normal hours. It does not affect farmers, contrary to popular belief, because they work by the sun, not the clock. They don't care whether you call their sunrise 4:00 am or 5:00 am, it's still sunrise to them. And to the health question, I always ask "if changing time zones one hour twice a year causes health problems, should we not see severe health issues in international business people, who fly all around the globe all the time?" The answer is "no" so I think the health issue is moot.

I really don't care, except for how it messes up my NOB TV schedule, which is not much.

It's all I can do to keep track of the time differences between me and my three daughters, as we live in Pacific, Mountain, Central, and Eastern time zones. When the time gets switched weeks later here than up north, that is a challenge for a few weeks. If they now change and we don't, that's going to be yet another challenge for my old brain.

Funny story about time zones- years ago I asked a young tourist couple on the beach for the time, as I saw he had a watch on and I'd forgotten my phone. He gave me the time, I went back to my towel, but then thought "It can't possibly be that late, I just left the house about 20 minutes ago", so I went back over and said, "Your watch must be set to Puerto Vallarta time, right?"

He said, "Yes, but it's the same time as here". I said no, you cross a time zone when you cross the state line from Jalisco to Nayarit.
His girlfriend looked up all confused and said, "How can that be, it's so close".
I don't know whether she thought there was some giant no man's land between time zones where time is suspended, or what.

(That was years ago- the "Riviera Nayarit" now goes by Central time, because it was so confusing for tourists, most of whom fly into PV, even though officially it is still in the Mountain time zone.)

So, when does MX change back to normal CST in Jalisco?

RoyD

Sunday, October 30/22

Thanks Bob. The day before we fly back to Florida no less. Got to make sure the clocks fall back.
RoyD

RoyD wrote:Thanks Bob. The day before we fly back to Florida no less. Got to make sure the clocks fall back.
RoyD

Be a good idea to check with the airline, too. My daughter flew from Baja once just when the clocks had changed the previous day. I asked her to make sure her time of arrival accounted for the time change and they told her it did.
But it didn't. After waiting for her at the airport for half an hour, I called, and she hadn't even boarded the second flight from Guad. to PV yet. The ticket time did not take the time change into account.

We deal with a lot of international clients and that time right before we change twice a year gets very confusing. Many countries change at different times and trying to keep track of who’s in daylight savings and when gets very convoluted. In a perfect world, it would be nice if all countries agree one way or another. And if we are going to continue to change, let’s just do it the same day please.

Our flight back leaves at 7:43 am and arrives at 1:43 pm in Orlando. That is 6 hours on a 4 hour flight. So, I figure we lose an hour for the time zone and another hour for the DST time difference.

RoyD

We have traveled internationally for the past 30+ years in late October when these time changes occur in different parts of the world. Never had an airline get it wrong....their software accounts for this, even on bookings made several months in advance. Their ticket times are always expressed in Local Time on the date of travel.

We have flown on the day of the time change itself and never an issue. We pay attention, set our alarm clock and wristwatches accordingly (much easier to be mindful of this nowadays since phones and computers will make us aware of new local time automatically).

I make sure to remind taxi drivers when reserving a car to the airport for the day of a time change; have done that in a few different languages over the years.

"Never had an airline get it wrong....their software accounts for this, even on bookings made several months in advance. "

The airline that got it wrong that my daughter took, and who told her it did account for the time change, was Viva Aerobus, as I recall. So no excuse but incompetency, as they are a domestic airline, so it wasn't a matter of the time changing on different dates, as when flying internationally.