I just read about two ideas to make air travel more comfortable. I like one, but I am not sure about the other.

First up is a dual armrest. The trademark Paperclip design is a two-level armrest, which allows passengers on each side to use it. I love this idea, but for whatever reason (probably mostly cost), it doesn’t seem to be a viable option for airplanes. The dual armrest would eliminate the awkward game between passengers as to who gets the armrest between them. Everyone would get one on each side. I don’t know the cost breakdown, but it would be worth paying a couple extra bucks per flight to pay for this luxury.

The second idea is an alternating seating design. Simply put, the middle seat (of three) would face backward (or opposite of the other two). This would allow about four extra inches of legroom. I am not sold on this second idea, but I am intrigued. My first reaction is I would hate facing the others if I was in that seat. Being sandwiched in the middle seat is bad enough without forcing that person to fly backwards and face the others. I also don’t know about the logistics of getting out of your seat. I am sure the designers would figure out a decent way to align the seats while allowing easy access in and out of the row.

Oddly, the idea I liked better has less of a chance of becoming a reality than the idea I questioned. Maybe this explains why I write about such things instead of trying to invent them.

— John Wroblewski, online contributor