Originally Posted by
cslusarc
Your math is wrong, the press release clearly states after reconfiguration, the 747s will accommodate 386 customers with 48 BusinessElite seats and 338 Economy class seats. This is a loss of 17 BusinessElite seats, but holding economy class the same size. Those pax in economy do get 1.5 inches of personal space with the new slimline seats, rather than reducing pitch. BusinessElite will have 12.4% of seats with this new configuration.
When the 763ER gets reconfigured, I'd like to see two seating arrangements: the GE-powered birds with 28 BusinessElite seats flying high-yield routes and the PW-powered birds with 20 BusinessElite seats flying low-yield long haul routes like MSP - HNL.
Correct: 12.4% it is.
As far as the 7ER configurations, I don't have any problem with your suggestion, because I don't have info about what fits the respective "high" and "low" yield routes.
Again, I got in this discussion only to suggest there seems to be a reasonable rationale for changing the A319 configuration. Each plane (and each route for that matter) has an optimal configuration. I have no idea what it is. I just hope they find it. But based on my experience, the B/E and First cabins are often full of people that didn't actually pay for the privilege. So I'm not surprised to see them "right-size" First on the 319. I also think lie-flats are becoming the standard, and it only makes sense to me we will add that seat to long-haul aircraft.