With all the whining about seats getting crammed together more than ever, is the whining primarily because of people getting larger? Or are the seats truly closer together?

When looking at the major narrow-body jets in service during my early lifetime (707, 727, DC8, 737), it doesn't seem like they had anything but 6 across in the main cabin. Certainly the seats aren't narrower. Pitch may have been played around with, but I don't remember even my earliest flights (I was already about 14) to have anything but cramped pitch.

Was there a time in the era of modern jet service that the Y seating was really any wider? Or are we just bigger, and with crappy service (or none at all) have more time to ponder the sardinity of our inflight existence?

Perhaps it's the degredation of service that causes the emotional pile-up of crappy things effect, but I can say for sure I am in fact bigger than when I was 14, or even nine or ten, when I remember my first flights and the seats seem smaller as compared to those years.

BTW - kudos for usage of the word 'sardinity'

Thanks. I was having a Colbertesque moment. I should TM the word before someone steals it

Sorry. I've already stolen it and it it sold to Jon Stewart for $4m. I'll send ya some extra eyeshades from the BKK trip I just booked. Fair?

Well, the spreading of commuter style aircraft and regional jets has increased greatly the number of smaller seats. Even as the RJs grew over the turboprops they replaced, the operators stayed with the itsy-bitsy seat widths because they already had people used to sitting in discomfort -- to place normal width seats would have lowered the pax count and their profit levels.

Many smaller airports that had 'real' jet service are now covered by turboprops and RJs, even for durations that are FAR too long for the cramped space. These things are okay for 1 hour jaunts but excruciating for 2.5 or 3 hours at a sit.

The seats seem wider since I've lost 20 pounds, but I'm still uncomfortable in an RJ. The coach (yikes, hate it, but it happens now and then) MD88 seats on the 2 seat side are pretty comfy for me.

Butts get wider but the seats remain the same.

for March 21, 2005, has a brief but informative article supplying plane seat pitch and widths.