Originally Posted by
EIPremier
Probably the easiest thing AS could do to expand F pitch would be to remove the closets that are in front of row 1 on the 737-800. This would add 4-5 inches to the F seat pitch. I'd figure you'd gain about 18 inches, divided by 4 rows. This would not involve any reduction to galley space or the loss of any seats. But, this only give them about 42" pitch.
However, if AS wanted to go to 3 rows in F and remove the closet, they could get a 55" seat pitch which would match VX. So, for AS to do this and only lose 4 seats, it might make sense revenue-wise
VX is ONLY one carrier in that market that has an excellent hard/soft product. The mitigating factor I believe is cost/upgrade.
A Delta elite has a VERY high probability of catching one of the 16+ biz-elites seats on the transcon. AA fly's it's flagship 767 3 cabin. Also almost a lock for an upgrade. UA has it's p.s. metal with 26 seats in biz & 12 in F.
The other thing to remember here is with the above carriers that we are talking about substantially larger metal than ANYTHING AS currently flies. Even with VX, the 319/320 has another 3" of cabin width.
I don't "cutthroat" really applies here because we are talking about a market were the legacy carriers sell LOTS of Y, A, F, Z fares. I truly believe that this market is dominated by the hard & soft product of each airline IMHO...