A few threads on this already:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...lace-10-a.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...lane-seat.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...lane-seat.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/emira...east-a380.html

I was wondering something along those lines as well, and thought maybe it was a safety issue to not have more than 3 seats in a row. In an emergency you'd have to possibly climb over two people. In a 5-seat middle section, that middle guy would have to climb over two people in either direction. I wonder if that's considered the safe maximum number of "bodies" to climb over?

It's not a question of bodies to climb over. It's a question of how many people can squeeze through the aisle to the exits in the time available. Higher throughput needs fatter pipes.

The a380 was approved with two aisles I don't think it would be feasible to consider a single aisle design.

If the seat width can be accommodated to acceptable/normal levels can somebody explain how this is worse than 2-5-2 for the center section or 3-3-3 for the side sections?

(Assuming of course, that they can put enough FAs, lavs, etc to handle the load of pax)

IIRC LH had 3-5-3 seating on the 747 around 1980.

By this reasoning, 3-6-3 would be allowed.

Could they omit the armrests at windows?

Or could the armrest just take width at elbow level and underneath just be a thin piece of metal underneath if the arm rest doesn't go up, so that at hip level the armrest takes no inches at all. Implicitly, I'm talking about measuring seat width at the hip rather than elbow level so that the arm rests don't count against the total available space.

Shhh! Don't give them more brilliant ideas

I remember flying Western Airlines DC-10 Spaceships LAX-SEA in 1974 and 1976 and the configuration in coach was 2-4-2.

Your post prompted me to scout out a photo

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Weste...eafbd075da2243

I must say that looks pretty nice.

Do some examination of DC-10:
http://www.boeing.com/assets/pdf/com...s/dc10sec2.pdf
Cross-sections pages 17-20, seatmaps pages 13-16.
The typical tourist accommodation, page 18, is indeed 8 abreast. 20 inch aisles, 44 inch seat pairs (NOT broken down to seat/armrest widths), some object in the middle 8 inch wide.
9 abreast economy seating, page 19, does provide seatback widths - 18,0 inch each and 2,0 inch armrests leave the space for 19,0 inch aisles. Note that 2-5-2 economy is not typical and neither is 3-3-3 - the typical configuration is 2-4-3.
First class, page 17, is 6 abreast - but seat pairs are mere 54 inch wide - 20 inch seatbacks - while leaving typical 31 inch wide aisles. Erm... you could easily have 22 inch aisles and 60 inch seat pairs. Or 19 inch aisles and 62 inch seat pairs.
Typical seatmap, page 13. Note how economy class pitch is 34 inch throughout, and 8 abreast. And the 6 abreast first class pitch is just 38 inch - 4 inches bigger.
How has your experience been in these 20x38 inch first class seats of DC-10?

My first experience on a DC-10 was CO 001 between IAH and LAX, circa 1985. My mom and I were upgraded to F (3 cabin), and I was simply blown away by how plush it was (I might have been young, and therefore smaller, at the time, but the pitch was a hell of a lot more generous than 38"); business class looked pretty nice, as well.

Well, look at the MD-11 linked in my post on previous page - and compare with DC-10.
The airplane cross-section is identical. So is the 10 abreast seating.
But none of the others.
The typical 9 abreast cross-section of MD-11 has exact same 18,0 inch seatbacks, 2,0 inch armrests and 19,0 inch aisles as DC-10 - but 9 abreast MD-11 is 2-5-2, not 2-4-3 like DC-10.
MD-11 has no 8 abreast cross-section. DC-10 has no 7 abreast cross-section.
First class is 6 abreast on both DC-10 and MD-11. But spot the difference. DC-10 has 31 inch aisles and 20 inch seatbacks. MD-11 has aisles 4,5 inches narrower, still at 26,5 inches, and seats 1,5 inches wider, at 21,5 inch.

And look at the 7 abreast business class. Yes, there is not the 8 inch wide middle armrest of first class - all armrests are 3,0 inch, like the aisle armrests of first class. But even with 25,25 inch aisles, the MD-11 business class seats are, at 20,5 inch seatback, wider than the 20,0 inch first class seats of DC-10.
Pitch? Well, MD-11 does not specify the pitch on seatmaps, unlike DC-10. But note that MD-11 mixed class, page 7, has 34 first class seats ahead of first doors, while DC-10 has 48 seats ahead of these doors.

Would you rather sit in DC-10 first class, 20,0 inch wide, or in MD-11 business class 20,5 inch wide?

And how are all these poor pensioners going to be able to afford flights in the future? By airlines getting more people in each plane.

^

What about simply making taller seats or putting them on little blocks?


On a more serious note, I do think this 11 seat thingy will work and it probably won't be as dreadful as most people thing. As long as they develop some new seats, adjust the height and remove some giant arm rests it will not be that bad.