Here's [Doug] Parker, trying to pull off that argument anyway:
That 30-in. pitch, having done it myself, is much more comfortable than our existing 31-in. pitch on an MD-80. It feels like a much better product ... I think the whole definition of pitch needs to be better understood.
The fact is that a seat is an inch [narrower] and more comfortable ... The traditional measure of simply pitch, and comparing pitch to aircraft that have very different seats, doesn't really give the customer what they need to know about the amount of space they have.
INC