Originally Posted by
ATOBTTR
This will be a case of "be careful what you ask for - you may just get it." This won't happen in a vacuum and reducing available seats on the aircraft by 17% (or more if you also require a bigger seat pitch too) is going to result in higher fares and make air travel unaffordable for a significant portion of the population. Low Cost/Budget Carriers may well cease to exist as their operating model won't be sustainable.
Remember economics 101. Airlines don’t dictate airfares, the market does. If they raise fares above what the market is willing to pay, people will stop buying tickets and that will force a reduction in airfares.
Gains in aircraft efficiency and the reduction of onboard staffing due to reduced capacity will offset the missing seats in the long run.
As to LCCs, it’s not society’s duty to ensure a viable business model exists for a corporation.