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Reason for optimism in 2023? Better airline middle seats with a CU Boulder connection

Hank Scott

A new article on reasons to be optimistic in 2023 features airline seat technology with ties to the University of Colorado Boulder.

Hank Scott is a lecturer in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences and the CEO of Molon Labe Seating.

His company aims to improve a major bane for airline passengers everywhere: the middle seat. They have developed a patented-staggered layout that offers increased width, a wider middle seat and staggered armrests.

The Washington Post spotlights it in a feature article that begins by noting that "the 2020s haven’t offered a surplus of cheer so far", and goes on to discuss seven different things that "might actually improve in 2023."

Scott says the seat would be a plus to travelers who generally avoid the middle seat at all costs.

“You wouldn’t be angry and in a bad mood,” he said. “You’d get off the plane happy.”

The section on Scott's company is the final item at the bottom of the article.