Originally Posted by
coolbeans202
I certainly am. I have taken many flights on UA of 14+ hours in 3-3-3 across 777's and never really had a problem.
I took an ORD-SFO flight in 3-4-3 with an average sized person in the middle and was horribly uncomfortable. Something about the way I need to position my shoulders and lean a little to the side causes a lot of pain in both my shoulder and lower back areas after a few hours. It's truly uncomfortable and not something I will tolerate on a long flight.
As CB points out, it is not just about the seat width, but the seat geometry that UA (and other carriers) use to implement the narrower width. In particular, these narrower seats typically have backs that are scooped to force the passenger's shoulders forward and inward. While this may help to avoid shoulders colliding between passengers, it forces the spine into a position that is not well-supported by your back muscles. If you suffer from back problems (as I do) you will notice the discomfort very quickly. But even if you don't suffer from such problems, you will begin to feel discomfort after several hours in the position.