No one wants the middle seat on airplanes
Jul 20, 2019, 8:37 am
#16
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Been around for years, appears no major airline has expressed any interest and I don't find that surprising
https://www.flyertalk.com/articles/i...ss-hassle.html 2015 article
https://www.flyertalk.com/articles/i...ss-hassle.html 2015 article
On 50 mystery passenger planes, set for delivery in 2020, middle seat passengers will get their own arm rest space, plus about two more inches of seat width compared to their right and left row mates.
Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration certified the new design, created by Molon Labe Seating, a startup engineering firm based in Colorado. In about two months, the North American airline that purchased the first set of seats will reveal its plans to offer them on commercial flights.
Jul 20, 2019, 10:58 pm
#17
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Looks like at least one NA carrier will have seats. Gotta wait 2 months to find out apparently:
On 50 mystery passenger planes, set for delivery in 2020, middle seat passengers will get their own arm rest space, plus about two more inches of seat width compared to their right and left row mates.
Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration certified the new design, created by Molon Labe Seating, a startup engineering firm based in Colorado. In about two months, the North American airline that purchased the first set of seats will reveal its plans to offer them on commercial flights.
On 50 mystery passenger planes, set for delivery in 2020, middle seat passengers will get their own arm rest space, plus about two more inches of seat width compared to their right and left row mates.
Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration certified the new design, created by Molon Labe Seating, a startup engineering firm based in Colorado. In about two months, the North American airline that purchased the first set of seats will reveal its plans to offer them on commercial flights.
(I'm sure no company has ever announced something that will happen in two months but didn't actually occur for two years, if at all.)
Jul 24, 2019, 7:50 am
#19
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My snap reactions, based on that photo from the 4-year-old CNN article:
- It looks like it would take longer to evacuate from the window seat, as Low Roller points out.
- Side-sliding seats sound like a thing that would often stick, jam, and break, creating flight delays and revenue loss if the seats can't be used until maintenance crews can fix them at the end of a day. Even if pilots use them on some airplanes, pilots probably know how to use them in a way that doesn't break them. (Especially if the pilot owns the plane!) I wouldn't trust hundreds of people, multiple times a day, to be as gentle on the seats.
- That photo in no way makes the middle seat look comfortable. The last thing I was is a *lower* seat, unless there's a solid 40+ inch seat pitch for my legs (which there will not be).
- I'm not sure how the math works to give the middle seat 3 more inches of width without taking it from the other two seats. The middle seat is only offset by a couple inches...not enough to put a 20" seat between two 17" ones and have window and aisle not lose any space.
I've seen other staggered-seat configurations that look better on paper, but they're *really* staggered and have never gotten far enough for evacuation tests, that I'm aware of.
- It looks like it would take longer to evacuate from the window seat, as Low Roller points out.
- Side-sliding seats sound like a thing that would often stick, jam, and break, creating flight delays and revenue loss if the seats can't be used until maintenance crews can fix them at the end of a day. Even if pilots use them on some airplanes, pilots probably know how to use them in a way that doesn't break them. (Especially if the pilot owns the plane!) I wouldn't trust hundreds of people, multiple times a day, to be as gentle on the seats.
- That photo in no way makes the middle seat look comfortable. The last thing I was is a *lower* seat, unless there's a solid 40+ inch seat pitch for my legs (which there will not be).
- I'm not sure how the math works to give the middle seat 3 more inches of width without taking it from the other two seats. The middle seat is only offset by a couple inches...not enough to put a 20" seat between two 17" ones and have window and aisle not lose any space.
I've seen other staggered-seat configurations that look better on paper, but they're *really* staggered and have never gotten far enough for evacuation tests, that I'm aware of.