Air France and KLM squeezing more passengers in smaller seats

Apparently the two airlines have decided to fit their new B777’s with 10 seats across each row instead of the 9 seats that have existed in the past.

Where does the room for extra seats come from? Business Traveller Magazine tells us:

This new configuration for the B777 is controversial, because although the B747 and the Airbus A380 also feature ten-across seating, they have wider cabins. A B777 has a width of 5.86 metres, whereas the B747 is 6.10 metres wide. On that basis, the A380’s cabin is positively luxurious, with a width of 6.58 metres.

What it means is that passengers occupying a ten-across layout on the B777 will find they have less elbowroom and narrower aisles. Indeed it means that it will be almost impossible for two people to pass each other when moving along the aisle.

Apparently neither airline has yet decided whether or not to retrofit their existing B777’s. I hope that they do not.