Originally Posted by
bocastephen
<shrug> whatever.
I suggest you start by reading up on the new slimline JAL seats which are larger overall and the type going into certain 738s used for international service.
I've flown on the ANA 3-3-3 configuration several times and I can GUARANTEE you that they are not 18.5" wide. The maximum width the seat can be and still have legal aisles is 17". If the seats were all 18.5" there would not even be space for aisles. The interior of the 787 at armrest level is 16 inches less than the 777, so how could it be possible to have 3-3-3 and identical seat width as the 777?
Boeing most certainly did re-open the line - the 767-200 was not being produced at that time, which is why every airline flying the 762 (including PMUA) has the original style interior except for PMCO 762s that feature the wave/777 style interior that was shipping with 777s and 764s.
Huge difference. The 757 line was shut down, many machine parts of the line were destroyed, the supply line for vendor parts terminated, and the jigs put into storage. The 767 line is still open today. A 767-200 is just a small mod of the 767, so requires very few specialized parts beyond what is typically used to make a 767-300 (essentially all they do is just delete a few frames from the build).
It's not like the 757 line was left untouched, ready for use again with a light dusting. It would take a restart of the supply chain, recreation of many machine tools, and reassembly of the jigs, plus some new assembly space. To make the airplane competitive, you'd need a new wing, engine, and flight controls plus a full new certification campaign. If you're going to do all of that you might as well just build a new airplane from scratch.