A while ago, after spending ages trolling through airline websites looking at seat widths, pitch, etc, I tried to come up with a "Seat Value" ratio that took into account various things that affect comfort during a flight. Of course, I could only include measurable things, not cabin service or meal quality, for example. I'm no mathematician, and this is as far as I got;

V = T(WP)2
--------
C

where V is the "value"
T is the flight time in minutes
W is the seat width in centimetres
P is the seat pitch in centimetres
C is the cost in dollars (U.S.)

I figured that multiplying the seat width and pitch together and squaring the result would give this aspect the weighting it deserves, and is further multiplied by the time of the flight; the longer the flight, the more you want a big seat! This lot is then divided by the cost of the ticket. Therefore the value is reduced as the cost increases. I am quite certain that this formula is flawed, but I would be interested to see other possibilites in an attempt to express value for money of an airline seat! It could help in the comparison between airlines and routes, but, as already stated, does not take into account things like AVOD, food quality, lounge quality, etc.


By the way, would the OP have a bit more room if he flew LHR-LAX with ANZ rather than Virgin? Y has 34" in ANZ as opposed to 32" in Virgin, and according to SeatGuru, the ANZ seat is also a smidgin wider.