Originally Posted by
rylan
Trying to sell it as "Euro-Business" isn't going to get any real increase over a standard EC seat. Having the middle seat open doesn't do anything to resolve the overall cramped feeling. They also don't use the 747 for high density/beach markets... there are smaller config planes for that which already have les BE seats (767 subfleet)
Having a middle seat open actually provides quite a bit of room, contributes to the perception of not being as packed in. Granted it may not do much in terms of a smaller cabin per say. However given the option of paying a full Y/B/M fare US-Europe for around $3K (how some were pricing out last week) and having a middle seat blocked for some people may be worth it vs. being packed into a standard EC config that get filled with the $1K fares for some routes, what bean counter wouldnt salivate over that scenario. Of course how many would be willing to pay for that premium on select routes is open for debate.
As for DL currently using 744s on beach/high-density markets you are correct, however given the speculation occuring in this forum, question is what or where might DL use a higher density 744 vs. current? Look at how NW used a subfleet of 742s for beach and other higher density routes.
Granted I dont think this rumored reconfig is targeted at the routes where NW used to deploy the "beach" 742s, likewise not a overlap for 767 or other specials. Rather my guess is to be put onto other routes, or simply use on some existing routes where the revenue mix is changing.