Originally Posted by Rebelyell

The 777 flew for years with 9-across seating, and the cost that was passed on to the consumer was not so high that people were unable to fly. The 747 also flew with 9-across. The 787 was designed to fly with 8-across seating until the airlines decided they could wedge another seat in if they were willing to make it an really uncomfortable ride. Setting a 19-inch width and 31-inch pitch benchmark, with nonconforming products to be taxed, is not going to raise fares by much, but it will certainly increase comfort by a lot and reduce air violence as well.