New Seat Design Could Make Airplane Boarding So Much Easier

The days of epically long boarding times and bumping our way down narrow airplane aisles to find our seats may be behind us.

A Colorado-based company called Molon Labe Seating has created an ingenious “side-slip” airplane seat design that would not only improve the boarding process, it would also make flying a bit more comfortable thanks to the addition of a slightly wider middle seat.

As shown in the video, in a typical three-seat arrangement, the side-slip design would allow the aisle seat to slide toward the window seat to create a wider aisle. I’m guessing this would mean everyone with window seats would board first. In order to make room for the aisle seat to slide over, the middle seat is slightly recessed behind the aisle and window seats. And—bonus!—the middle seat is designed to be two inches wider than traditional airplane seating.

While there are not immediate plans to bring this design into reality, I certainly hope that changes soon. Not only would a faster boarding time save airlines money (it costs airlines about $100 for each wasted minute on a runway), this new design could transform the much-disdained middle seat into the most desirable one on the plane.