Originally Posted by
airsurfer
Indeed, the main reason that seats appear to be 'shrunk' is that actually most pax are grown in size. Not only in height (average Western man = 1.8m) but also in width (weight), and the latter affects the space.
Seats have changed, though. 737/757 less so, A320 series in many cases lost an inch as airlines decided to standardize on the 737 seat unit instead of the slightly wider A320 unit. Wide bodies much more pronounced - almost every wide body airliner that came out, airlines eventually squeezed in an extra seat per row. But not all airlines did this, nor at the same time, so everyone has a different experience.
In the end, though, I really feel this should be regulated.