One of TED's cornerstones, in addition to (supposedly) cheaper operating costs and (in some cases) lower fares, was the idea that on a leisure route, First Class was a money-loser. Nobody paid the actual fare, most upgraded from mid-to-low fare bases, and removing the seats allowed more Economy seats to be fitted which would be filled because the loads on leisure routes are (always) so high.
I flew SFO-BWI in 11C (Exit Row) on a packed A320 on Friday. I am 6'2" and 300 pounds and I was perfectly fine. More legroom then First, more tray room for my laptop (if not in Row 1, forget using anything larger then a Sony VAIO subnotebook on a domestic First Class cabin), and the FAs did a water run every hour. Normally, transcons are automatic upgrades, but this was an overnight and the Airbus seats are so much more comfortable then those on the 737/757 (I still cannot comprehend how an extra inch of seat width offers so much more comfort. I used to work for Boeing, yet I will go out of my way for Airbus single-aisle plane service).
Now I am flying a 757-200 back Monday morning, and I just secured 1B, even though I had 9C (best Exit Row seat on the plane). Just don't want to be wedged into my seat for five hours.