United has extra pitch (about 15%) seats at the front of the cabin that it gives free to favored customers. American claimed to have all seats at extra pitch, but may have backtracked lately. Seats are quite easy to rearrange front to back, an inch at a time.

A better way to market these seats is for a flat 15% premium on whatever you paid for your ticket. Informal inquiry among friends indicates many people would buy this.

Sell six of these upgrades and (i) six passengers are happier, having made what they consider a good deal not now available, plus(ii) you have 90% of the average revenue from a seat(iii) but you carry no extra weight, incur no overhead for a reservation, checkin, etc, serve no extra meal, check no more bags, use no more attendant time. (iv) OK, you lose the average per-seat profit on drinks.The fraction of rows with extra pitch can be easily and frequently adjusted as market results demand.

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