What would it take for you to book the dreaded middle seat on the airplane? When you book your flight late in the game, it’s often the only seat left to choose. But would you ever book it intentionally for some sort of reward? I read in a recent New York Times article that Virgin America’s director of engineering, Ken Bieler, has spent much of his career obsessing about how to make it more comfortable.
I wondered if he’s thought about any of these ideas …
- making it a massage chair with customizeable settings
- making it the freebie kingdom where you could order free snacks and drinks throughout the flight
- making it Vogue’d out. Like the fabric was luscious velvet with polka dots, or ostrich skin or leather
- making it a dare? Or a contest? Say, you would earn double miles for sitting in the middle seat without once hitting the person’s elbow next to you
What other ideas are there?
I’m all about the freebie kingdom in #2…