Colorado Company's New Airplane Seat Design Would Help Solve 'Elbow Wars'

DENVER (CBS4) - After recently gaining FAA approval, a Colorado company is hoping to revolutionize seating inside airplanes. They're reinventing airplane seats with a design meant to give passengers some more space.

"It is a standard airline seat where we've lifted the standard airline seat and pushed them forward, and we've slightly lowered the middle seat and pulled it back for the sole reason of giving people more space," said Hank Scott the founder of Molon Labe Seating.

The seating design splits the seats and actually allows for three more inches for the middle seat. The aisle and window seats are also higher than normal.

"What looks like a small stagger makes a huge difference," Scott said.

The seats are manufactured in Jefferson County. After FAA approval, an airline has agreed to buy some, but Scott isn't saying which airline.

Molon Labe has three different seats, and the idea actually originated from a sliding seat idea that would make aisles wider during boarding and deplaning.

"We want to sell a simpler version of it that just has this staggered layout with no moving parts," Scott said.

The seats have been under development and testing for nearly half a decade, including a two-tiered armrest.

"Normally you'd be further forward, and we'd be rubbing shoulders and figuring out who is going to win this war. You have a section of armrest, I have a section of armrest, we've solved the elbow wars," he said.

Scott says the middle seat costs the same on most airlines and now that passenger will finally get their money's worth.

"It's less miserable than it used to be," he said.