Q. Is it just my imagination, or have airplane seats become “thinner” than they used to be? I’m old enough to remember flying on Lockheed Constellations when I was a kid, and I seem to recall that the seats were as comfortable as a luxury automobile seat. Now they’re hard as marble.

A. No, it’s not your imagination. Airplane seats are getting thinner. It’s all about saving fuel (lighter, thinner seats weigh less) and allowing the airlines to squeeze more seats onto their planes. Because the seat backs are thinner (and, as you’ve no doubt noticed, have less cushioning) they provide more knee space (if not more legroom). So they give the illusion of providing just as much space as thicker seats that used to be spaced farther apart. For domestic U.S. travel, JetBlue still offers the most legroom in economy class; Spirit Airlines offers the least.

Q. Where can I get the best deal on medical insurance, trip interruption, and other insurance while traveling?

A. I recommend using insuremytrip.com to compare rates and policies. Be sure to download a copy of the actual contract before you buy and read the fine print. There’s no travel insurance policy that covers every eventuality and there are a lot of exceptions, exclusions, and loopholes. Some insurers offer “cancel for any reason” policies, but they typically refund only 75% of your trip cost and there are other restrictions.

Q. How do you put an airfare sale on “hold” and how long can you hold it for, or is this option only available to travel agents?

A. Thanks to new D.O.T. regulations, you can put any air reservation on hold for 24 hours without paying for it. United also offers something called “fare lock” which allows you to put an airfare on hold for longer periods, on select flights, for a fee.