Forget that old hag. Doesn't matter what these reviewers say. They're jaded at this point.
The way he used it isn't the way most people will use it
I bet most people won't see any difference between the Air 2 and the Air (if they are upgrading) in terms of everyday use.
What you're saying is also irrelevant. Sure if you want to claim anything over 8 hours is great battery life, then ignore every review for anything, because you're fine. Whether it's "everyday use" or not, at the end of the day, doing roughly the same thing, the air 2 had less battery. That is a logical result too, because the explanation is, that is has a smaller battery. Everyone needs to get over the fact that the device has a smaller battery. This means that in less battery intensive tasks, the device with a higher battery capacity (iPad Air 1) will last longer over the long run, and have a more pronounced battery life difference; however in the short run, they will both have similar battery life.
The difference can be seen in the iPhone 6 and 6+ too. The 6+ is rated for 12 hours of internet browsing on WiFi. The iPhone 6 is rated for 11 hours of internet browsing on WiFi. Considering the large difference in battery capacity between the two, you would think that difference would be greater. However that can be seen in audio playback. 80 hours for the 6+ and only 50 hours for the iPhone 6. So different tests show you different things, however if there is a decent margin of difference in the test between two devices, then I think it's a valid test, and generally shows the capability of the battery's capacity. It doesn't mean that one device is giong to be outpaced greatly in everyday use, but it still shows a difference in performance at a statistical level, and let's face it, that's enough for people to argue about it here on MacRumors. More than enough