Airlines are finally fixing the middle seat

DENVER, Colo., - What if we could rethink the middle seat to be more comfortable? In 2017, we wrote about a landmark airplane seat called the S1. Its design is unique in that it staggers the typical three-seat arrangement, so that middle-seat passengers sit slightly behind others in their row. Last month, the S1 received FAA approval to be installed on planes; an undisclosed U.S. airline will be putting them on 50 planes by the end of 2020, writes Mark Wilson for FastCompany.com. Continue reading original article

The Intelligent Aerospace take:

July 22, 2019- Frequent fliers have their preference - aisle or window. Of course, "middle seat" is an option, but I'd have to think a list of people that really, really prefer to sit between the window and aisle would be roughly as long as the list of people who enjoy trips to the dentist. I'm sure they exist, but I don't know that I fully trust them.

However, the small company of Molon Labe Seating of Denver, Colorado, has made the middle seat experience a bit less uncomfortable with its S1 seating solution. The middle seat sits slightly behind and the other two seats to provide everyone with a bit more shoulder and elbow room on shorter commuter flights. The company also has a pair of models designed for long-haul flights, though they still need to be approved by agencies.

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Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Intelligent Aerospace