Having never never had the opportunity to fly intra-Europe in Business till now, I must say I'm quite surprised by the approach the European carriers take with the cabin, with the seats being the very same as coach and the "luxury" being the vacant seat in between.

Is there a particular reason all the major players have adopted this? While the in-flight service from what I've read does seem a step up from carriers in the US, I must admit having the same seat found in coach is an unpleasant discovery. For this reason, is business class really not regarded by European travelers as step up as it would be in the states?