United to increase coach configuration to 10-across on some 777s

[jimntx]

American already has 10 across on some 777s.  Boeing says about half the 777s delivered last year had 10-across.  United is moving these 777s from International to domestic service--mostly on Hawaii routes.
 
http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2016/03/09/united-confirms-10-abreast-seating-some-its-777s/81519220/
 
I suppose it's only a matter of time until one of us goes to 15-across.  Of course we'll have to go to single-aisle configuration to do it.  I can see the new advertising now.  "On our 16-hour flights to Hong Kong, you will never be more than 8 seats from the aisle."  

 

[xUT]

Think the 2-5-2 seating was bad...
I was stuck in the middle seat once from SFO-CDG.
That was miserable.

 

[FWAAA]

2-5-2 was fantastic. Customers preferred it, for good reason. Four of the nine across were doubles, with no middle seat. The five in the middle? Think of it as two pairs of doubles with one middle seat. None of the middles had to be occupied unless the load factor in the back exceeded 88%. Plus the center section of five was ideal for families of 3 or 4 or 5. And if you were unlucky enough to be assigned that middle seat, you were still only two away from the aisle, not unlike a window seat on a 3-3 or 3-3-3 configuration. Even better, you had two pathways to the aisle.

3-3-3, on the other hand, sucks for everyone, because every seat group has a middle seat. And since there are now 3 middle seats, they're occupied once the load factor exceeds 66% in the back. That happens a lot more often than the load factor exceeding 88%.

10-across sucks for everyone as well, since it's 3-4-3, since there are no seat pairs like on the 2-5-2 configuration, and since there are 10 seats across, they're more narrow than the 9-across seats.

As long as E+ or MCE remains 9-across, the 10-across doesn't bother me too much, because I'm probably not going to be back there. For those of you who are employees flying NRSA, I feel for you.

Somehow, JAL continues to buck the industry trend and has kept its 787 main cabin at 8-across, instead of the typical 9-across. At UA and AA, however, setting new seat density records seems like the only thing in their playbook.

 

[jimntx]

Maybe that Congressman from Tennessee will get his bill pushed through Congress that will set minimum width and pitch for airline seats.  This might even mean 9 across would not be possible.

 

[eolesen]

Yeah, I'm of the opinion those minimum seat size and bag fee proposals won't ever see the light of day.

There was this little law passed in 1978 and even though certain legislators seem to forget or not know what the definition of "deregulation" means, I suspect the courts do, and would overturn anything that were to try and regulate pricing or product attributes.

If a 70 lb rollerboard being in an overhead isn't a danger, it's hard to argue that seat pitch is.