I’m not sure I agree with the premise. Given the examples in the article, seat space is not limited <i>just</i> to upsell customers. Smaller seats means more fares. Similarly, priority boarding became a thing when airlines started charging $40 for checked bags, and thus overhead space became a coveted commodity. There is surely a sweet spot, however, where upselling is valuable (that is, the marginal price of an upgrade is a lot higher than the marginal cost for the airline).
>The idea was first distilled in this way back in 2014 by Columbia Law School professor Tim Wu for the New Yorker.<p>>“Here’s the thing: in order for fees to work, there needs be something worth paying to avoid. That necessitates, at some level, a strategy that can be described as “calculated misery.” Basic service, without fees, must be sufficiently degraded in order to make people want to pay to escape it,” Wu writes. “And that’s where the suffering begins.”<p>>Wu explains that under calculated misery, services or features that were once expected (think of leg room) are made worsened (leg room is reduced as rows are moved closer together). Want a little more leg room? You’ll likely need to upgrade your airfare to business or first class or even ordinary coach seats with added leg room.<p>Business in a nutshell.
This does not merely apply to Airlines. Spotify inserts annoying pay for Spotify ads that are almost purposely indented to make the listener uncomfortable.
I can't help but wonder what's next, and in what ways they will attempt to squeeze passengers more. Charging more for window/aisle, starting to play adverts over the speakers.
Related: The Gentlemans Rant on flying<p><a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BNxbc1o2KLU">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BNxbc1o2KLU</a>