Two things to keep in mind:

1. There is no such thing as a "trend" with removing seats. UA did it, and their archrival AA, with whom they compete ferociously, matched. Unitl someone else jumps on board, like DL, it is not a trend. Rather, its more like a skirmish between the Titans.

2. Everything Bethune said in the article was essentially correct. Airlines have tried all sorts of seating gimmicks before. The scorecard: Success 0, Costly Failure Alot.

Second, if many of those empty seats go to employees, I'd rather that they have them and be happy than be without and treat me miserably.

Finally, more leg space is nice, but as he says, it doesn't mean much when you're not their with your bags. Or when the meal service is shoddy, or the flight is never on time.

Besides, do you think the airlines would EVER do anything that was truly beneficial for the passengers? Probably not, so be careful what you wish for.