Has anyone noticed the remarkable similarity between the layout of BA business class and a slave trader?
I've always assumed (without any evidence) that Airbus, aim to have more seat width than Boeing as a marketing feature. The 320 is wider (noticeably) than a 737, and the A330 and A340 seem to be immune to the kind of seat widths commonly found down the back of the 777 and 787. Among frequent fliers they get recgnition for it.
I think people will pay for quality, but most passengers don't fly often and are blissfully unaware of the difference between the airline offerings. Freqent flyers are well aware of it: my experience is SQ (in business) typically charge £300 more for the A380 flight to London than the 777 flights, for example. And I generally go for the A320 over the 737 if the timings are similar.
I think it is high time minimum seat widths and spacings were required by regulation. The remorseless drive to the bottom is becoming a health risk.