Emirates, fairly well regarded for seating comfort, puts 406 in coach on just the lower deck. So approaching 800 in two-deck single class isn't crazy.

Emirates consumes the entire upper deck with 90 premium seats, plus a bar area. Transaero is only doing 36, so that probably takes about 35% of the upper deck. If the rest is coach, and the same density as Emirates, it would hold another 260 in the 65% remaining upper deck. For a total of 703.

So 652 doesn't seem insanely packed, just a much higher proportion of Y seats than other carriers.

(Did they change the story? I don't see "Definition of Misery". I see "At 652 seats, Transaero's A380s could top all others").

EDIT: press releases say that the A380 could carry 852 "when properly configured")