FAA Approves New Design That Gives the Middle Seat More Space
by Daine Taylor
The goal of the new seat designs, according to Molon Labe Seating, is to ease the pain of middle-seat passengers. Photo: TJ Brown / Shutterstock.com.
The FAA has recently approved a new staggered seat design which will make for a more comfortable journey for travelers who fly in the middle seat.
The design model called the S1, is an innovative seating structure that puts the middle airline seat several inches lower than and further back from the aisle and window seats, providing much-needed additional space.
According to Fast Company, the seats will be installed on 50 aircrafts by the end of 2020
Molon Labe Seating, the company that created the S1 design, has been developing the product for five years, with the aim of creating a type of seating that increases passengers’ comfort without reducing a plane’s capacity.
“We have discovered that what looks like a small stagger actually makes a huge difference,” said Hank Scott, founder of Molon Labe. “The trick is to actually sit in the seat. In fact, our main sales tool is to ship seats to airlines so they can sit in them.”
The seats’ design will make the middle seat more desirable, at 21 inches rather than the typical 18, it is several inches wider than the adjacent chairs in the S1 model. Additionally, every seat will comes with its own smartphone or tablet holder, USB port and a latchless tray table.
While the S1 is designed for shorter-haul commuter flights, the company is also developing staggered S2 and S3 models for long-haul journeys, which will feature the widest seats plus the biggest inflight entertainment systems offered in economy class on the market.
The seats also have an optional bonus feature called “side slip”, which enables the aisle seat to slide over the center seat. This design quirk means the aisles can be made wider during boarding, allowing passengers to get on and off the plane more quickly.
