I want to know if the low pressure in airliners is really necessary, or is it just a cost saving ploy? If the airline could set the cabin altitude to something more like sea level
From my airlines Cabin Crew Operations Manual:
The ideal conditions would be to simulate ground level atmospheric pressure, however this is not practicable due to design and weight problems. To alleviate this problem the cabin is pressurised to between 6,000 ft to 8,000 ft. This is dependent on the altitude at which the aircraft is actually flying.