Comments on: Middle seats don’t have to be terrible

By: David Linke

David Linke — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 23:49:43 +0000

The simplest thinking is the absolute best thing. Middle Seat = Wider Seat = Fewer Upset Customers = More Business! THIS IS SIMPLY GENIUS!

I wonder how many hours, days, weeks and months airlines and aircraft manufacturers have spent trying to reduce the number of middle seats. When in fact it is a simple branding problem. Simply add a few extra inches of width and moved onto tackling the biggest issue the airline industry faces – Departing On Schedule!

By: Aidan

Aidan — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:59:01 +0000

Totally agreed, Brian. Because of the current negative associations (or brand) people have for the middle seats, airlines should be innovating either a story or some benefits (or, better yet, both!) for the oft-maligned seat.

By: briantlinton

briantlinton — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:29:28 +0000

Well the middle seats current ‘brand’ is it is negative. The brand can best be summarized as small, uncomfortable and awkward.

Best case scenario is that it is rebranded to be the complete opposite. It would be interesting to see if an airline made their middle seats 2 inches wider (sortof like United Airlines Economy Plus which gives you 4 more inches of legroom – which makes a huge difference). If they make the seat wider and charge the same price as the other seats it might make people more inclined to choose the middle seat. And just imagine how much publicity an airline would get for doing this too.

By: Aidan

Aidan — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:02:12 +0000

David? Your ideas are awesome. Exactly what I was hoping to see!

Looking forward to hearing more from you in the future.

And Briant? My thoughts exactly. What sort of “branding” would you want to see?

By: David Barnes

David Barnes — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:38:40 +0000

Even more obvious, middle seat people get a first class meal.

By: David Barnes

David Barnes — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:38:13 +0000

If you’re stuck with a middle seat, you get shown a gallery of all the people you could sit next to. You choose the best looking companion for the journey. This would have the dual effect of making the middle seat more attractive to most of us, but less attractive to the good looking.

By: briantlinton

briantlinton — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 03:03:01 +0000

I love this! Great thoughts and a very creative approach to the dilemma of the middle seat.

I think airlines could benefit from “branding” the middle seat – changing our current views on it.