I've never understood why pitch is always quoted and seat width ignored....
For me, the beginning and end of the story is additional recline+foot rests. These are the difference between sleeping on the flight (and thus getting much better value out of the trip itself) and not sleeping on the flight. If UA offered this kind of option on intercontinental flights, I'd happily pay Y times 2 for it, even though I am unwilling to pay Y times 5 or more for business class.