4 Reasons Why Airplane Seats Aren’t Likely to Get Wider

There are certain things that passengers have come to expect while traveling by plane: long security lines, a small treat after takeoff (if you're lucky), and seats that face forward. 

It’s easy to paint a certain picture of Martha’s Vineyard if you’ve never been. Ahead of my first visit last month, I imagined what’s synonymous with most well-known islands: unspoiled beaches, freshly caught seafood, an unhurried pace of life. But I also imagined locals who were insular, conservative, and flashy with their wealth.

With its white-sand beaches and sparkling turquoise seas framed by palm trees, lush greenery and soaring mountains, there could hardly be a more romantic destination than the Caribbean. Whether you want to snorkel with spectacular sea life, indulge in a moonlit dinner á deux, have your cares massaged away or lounge together in a private cabana, the Caribbean offers the ultimate idyllic couples’ escape.

If Minnesota doesn’t come to mind when you think of a city-weekend escape, you must not be familiar with the City of Lakes. Minneapolis is an arts and culture hub that surprises most with its style and spirit—Bob Dylan, a Minnesotan himself, marveled at the ahead-of-the-times music scene he saw in the 1950s in Minneapolis and nearby St. Paul.

A new plane seat design from a startup called Molon Labe Seating aims to provide a wider middle seat on short-haul flights, and the company says two unnamed airlines are set to try out the change in 2020. The design would afford three extra inches of shoulder room to anyone who gets stuck in the middle seat, changing its seatback width from 18 to 21 inches.

Plane seat manufacturers have released some crazy iterations of new cabin designs in the past, typically aiming at increasing the number of already-cramped seats on board. You might remember the standing Skyrider 2.0 “seats” conceptualized for short flights, or these stacked lie-flat beds from hell for longer flights—both of which saw hypothetical designs that never materialized.

Osaka is affectionately known as "Japan's kitchen". It's the birthplace of ramen noodles (which celebrate their 60th birthday in 2018) and is home to some of the country's quirkiest restaurants.

Dreaming of adventure in the great outdoors? Wondering which state should top your next travel bucket list? It’s time you considered Colorado.

Seville is Spain undiluted. Every image that springs to mind when you think of Spain, Seville not only provides, but revels in with theatrical abundance.

Nijmegen is a lively university city around an hour-and-a-half by train from Amsterdam. Beyond its famous Four Days Marches, it’s a fairly unassuming place and doesn’t exactly sit on the country’s tourist trail.

Affectionately known by Brits as the Garden of England, Kent is famed for its leafy surroundings and home-grown produce. But thanks to its bounty of award-winning booze, cutting-edge art and spine-tingling scenery, this county is even more fruitful than its monicker implies. And now is the perfect time to visit – here are five reasons why.

The ingredients for a great European weekend break are simple. You’ll need a walkable city centre, a handful of excellent restaurants, some cool bars, affordable places to stay, interesting attractions and good transport.