2-4-2 is a much more user friendly layout for two people traveling together, perhaps the most common flying pattern (after solo travelers, of course). The four in the middle is perfect for families of four (again, quite common family arrangement). 3-3-3 means couples have to nudge elbows with strangers and families of four are broken up. And as others have pointed out, with 2-4-2 no one is more than one seat from an aisle. 2-4-2 is, hands down, a much better layout. Why Boeing continues to crank out jets that don't have such a design is beyond me--Airbus simply makes a more comfortable product.

CO's 787's are all fine and dandy, but I'd rather be riding on an A340 or 380.