Goodness what guff. I'd estimate speedbrakes get used at least 50% of the time in European airspace.
All this Lever Of Shame stuff - if not taken very tongue in cheek - is dangerous bravado. High energy unstable approaches are rapidly becoming one of the top hazards in commercial aviation. Reluctance to err on the side of caution with brakes and gear in the early stages of the approach has been identified as a classic precursor to a hazardous unstable approach.
The amounts of fuel you are talking about are miniscule. It is my experience that the pilots who bemoan speed brake fuel costs are often the ones keen to 'tweak up the speed a bit' on a sectos. Their mindless preference for .8 instead of .76 costs a lot more fuel than putting the gear down at 20 miles...
Cheers
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