Maybe it is time for regulators to step in on health and safety grounds and mandate minimum seat width snd aisle width. History shows that in Y airlines will cram in as many seats as they can and some-BA comes to mind with its very poor 8 abreast Club, do the same to a degree in premium cabins.
With long haul travel now common lace I think a passenger ought to be assured of a safe comfortable seat of reasonable size and pitch. I do not agree it is purely pressure from pax for cheap fairs that airlines go for the sardine option, I think they want to do that and like to shift the blame a bit , not every passenger buys purely on price otherwise all TATL traffic would go via Iceland .
I don't blame Boeing over the seating but tout the 787 as the 'dreamliner' is a bit of a joke as the aircraft is no game changer from a pax experience viewpoint , certainly not like the 380 which most find vastly more comfortable and a recognisably different experience even for the much (on here) derided Y class.
Sadly the way of the modern world-who cares if its crap its cheapest and people should remember that its accountants who buy airliners and that is their mantra the world over.