Airbus bets on wider seats for fatter American butts

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Airbus is pitching A320 planes with wider aisle seats in its battle to break Boeing's grip on the US domestic airliner market.

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Faced with fatter passengers and shrinking revenues, the European airline manufacturer is hoping the extra revenue that airlines could earn by offering wider 20-inch aisle seats will give it the upper hand against its US rival.

The new seat configuration would take advantage of the Airbus A320's extra 7.5-inch in-cabin width by reducing the middle and window seats to 17 inches — the same as on a Boeing 737 — while stretching the aisle seat to 20 inches.

Airlines could charge a $10 premium, which would add up to an extra $500 per flight.