Originally Posted by
Globaliser
Was this a cost-saving measure, or was it a deliberate decision not to centre the seat? I can't see why there should have been any presumption that the seat ought to be centred, as suggested by your post.
In any event, I don't think that the seat itself is any wider in the E seats. It's just that there is more space to the right of the seat.
Well, there is additional space in the seat unit and BA could have made the cushion and mechanical mechanism fill the space giving a better customer experience at a not-inconsiderable additional cost of maintaining a non-standard seat.
If BA had centred the current sized seat, then you'd be able to have normal chair-style armrests, rather than having your left arm using a space that has been carved out of the seat divider and ends with a wall - which means you can't rest your hands over the end of the left armrest (but you can on the right).
As for the seat size, well, you end up with an esoteric discussion on what exactly a seat is
The cushions are the same size, but if you consider it as the floorspace consumed (in a similar way to the A380 F seat being bigger than the 777 F seat) then it is definitely bigger.