I was just looking at the Thompson Solutions website again and thought it would be possible for CO to configure the 787 with a few rows of the "High Comfort" option as an elite section, then the remainder with the "High Capacity" seats. The difference in size and pitch of the High Comfort seats would not justify the creation of a Premium Economy class, thereby preventing CO from having to go down that road, but would create a low or neutral-cost perk to elites. The cost could be low or neutral because use of the High Capacity option allows an increase in the number of seats without a reduction in seat pitch and width. Therefore, the number of seats would increase even with a few rows of the High Comfort seats. I don't think this would result in a defacto Premium Economy class, just some extra comfortable elite rows - I would think the increase in comfort provided by the High Comfort option would be comfortable to the increase in comfort one experiences when seated in a bulkhead or exit row in Y. In any event, even if the entire aircraft were configured with the High Comfort seats, seating capacity would be the same as a standard 3-3-3 configuration (this all presumes the statements on the TS website would apply to the 787).
I wonder what the overall cost of such seats are (including weight re fuel consumption, design installation, and maintenance) compared with CO's current generation of uncomfortable Y seats?