No one likes the middle seat on an airplane. In them, you're likely to be squeezed in among strangers—strangers who may have questions about your choice of airplane snacks like tuna or hot dogs, and some in which you'll get into elbow-to-elbow fights with strangers on either of your armrests. It's usually a claustrophobic nightmare. But some short-haul planes may upgrade their middle seats—and if they do, there's a good chance you'll never feel "stuck" with a seat assignment again.
When you're flying from one city to another, you want to be as comfortable as possible. The window seat offers a view of the world below, making for great Instagram story updates. Aisle seats allow you to stand up and stretch your legs at will—depending on the status of the seat belt sign, of course. The middle seat is...a seat. But thanks to the Molon Labe chair, the middle seat is experiencing a renaissance, and you might not mind booking it.
You won't have a better view of the world outside, and you'll still have to excuse yourself when you step over the legs of people in the aisle, but you 'll have more space. That's really all I can think of asking. ABC reports that the upgrade to the middle seat has been approved by the FAA and will feature a wider seat and more elbow room.
This seat, called S1: Space Seat, will be set lower and behind the adjacent seats. Staggered seating means that people in the middle seat won't suffer as much as they would have if they were in the horrible seat on the previous flight. No more fighting with your elbows. Your armrest space will be obvious, and any elbows entering your middle seating area will be an obvious intruder. Thanks to the staggered design, the middle seat will be 21 inches wide, making this once despised seat highly desirable. The design may seem simple, but it's a major game-changer for travelers.
The new middle seat-friendly row will also offer more lateral space, smartphone/tablet holders, USB and lock-free tables for the middle seat. The S1: Space Seat is designed for short-haul economy flights, and at least one U.S. airline has ordered the new seats, according to Molon Labe Seating.
The unnamed US airline plans to install the new design on 50 of its aircraft by the end of 2020, Fast Company reports. As far as I know, the skies will become friendlier and everyone will have equal opportunity to rest comfortably on short-haul flights, finally.
Molon Labe Seating has also developed a method to make the boarding and deplaning process more civilized and comfortable. No more dropping your carry-on items on the heads of people waiting to get off the plane. S3: The side-sliding seat is used to widen the aisle. According to Molon Labe Seating, “Minimum aisle width (20 by regulation). So our aisles are 20 inches in flight and up to 42 inches during loading and unloading. Finally, on a flight of hundreds of people, everyone will have more personal space.
