I was wondering about that...

Semi-OT trivia: how often do airlines operate a route only one-way? Is anybody currently doing it into any of these popular airports with short-ish runways? DCA, MDW, LGA, etc.

Anyway, the plane size is a red herring once you're bigger than the Barbie jets like the CR2. It's all about how the airline configures it. Spirit flies nice big A320s...and they jam about 900 people into them.

IMHO, the best short-haul plane in the sky is the E170/190. It's significantly smaller than the Boeings and Airbii people usually prefer. No middle seats, and most operators have it configured approximately 18" x 32". If there's an F cabin, it's 1x2, making the "A" seats a very nice ride.