After setting an all-time ridership record in 2025, Amtrak is looking to the future. One of the rail provider’s biggest initiatives? Updating its aging fleet to provide a more reliable and comfortable service for the 35 million people who now ride Amtrak each year. Enter the Amtrak Airo — a new state-of-the-art train model entering service in 2026. Here’s a look at what makes this new design so special, plus where and when you can expect these trains to make their debut.

Notable Features

At first glance, Amtrak Airo train cars are a major aesthetic improvement over older models that have been in service for decades. These new trains boast a sleek, eye-catching exterior design, as well as an interior outfitted with modern finishes. 

The ergonomically designed seats are roomier than before, providing plenty of legroom for all passengers. You’ll also find sturdier tray tables, movable headrests, and dedicated cup and tablet holders. Tech is upgraded, too — all seats will feature dedicated outlets, USB ports, and 5G-enabled Wi-Fi.

Another special feature of the Airo model is that each cabin is outfitted with panoramic windows, offering stunning views of the passing terrain. This is a big improvement on older Amtrak models, which typically had smaller windows and a dedicated viewing car that required riders to leave their regular seats.

Amtrak’s new Airo trains were also designed with accessibility in mind. Spacious restrooms, wheelchair lifts, and wider vestibules make these trains more welcoming to riders using a wheelchair or those with mobility concerns. Furthermore, signage has been improved: Cleaner text and color-coded systems will make it easier to navigate the cabins and find the cafe car, business class, or bathrooms (which will also have touchless controls).

There’s a major update to business-class seating, too: While older train models featured a two-by-two seating configuration, business class on the Airo line offers a two-by-one seat configuration. This means more privacy for business-class passengers traveling alone — and more comfort because there are fewer seats installed in the business-class section.

Reliability and Sustainability

Two other areas in which Airo trains excel are reliability and sustainability. Airo trains are not only capable of traveling at faster speeds (up to 125 mph), but they also eliminate the need for time-consuming engine changes. While many older Amtrak models would need to stop in locations such as Washington, D.C., to swap out the engine from diesel to electric, that’s no longer the case. Airo trains will have dual-engine technology that allows them to switch between electrified and nonelectrified tracks, meaning less downtime sitting in transit hubs.

Manufactured at Siemens facilities in California and North Carolina, the trains are also more fuel-efficient thanks to their hybrid battery power options, and they are estimated to produce 90% fewer particulate emissions than diesel alternatives.

When Does the Airo Debut?

Amtrak plans to roll out 83 Airo trainsets over several months. It’ll all begin along the Amtrak Cascades line that connects Vancouver, British Columbia, to Eugene, Oregon. There’s no exact date for the official debut as of the time of writing, but Airos are expected to hit the rails this year, perhaps as early as spring 2026.

This debut couldn’t come at a better time for Amtrak’s Cascades line, which saw 70 older trains removed from service in 2025 due to corrosion. The corroded trains were subsequently replaced by smaller models that couldn’t sufficiently accommodate the Cascades line’s usual ridership.

After they debut on the Cascades route, the plan is for Airo trains to be rolled out on Amtrak’s most heavily trafficked route — the Northeast Regional line, which passes through Boston, New York City, and Washington, D.C. Airo trains are expected to provide much-needed reliability on a route that has historically been plagued by congestion, delays, and crowded trains.

In the meantime, the trains are still undergoing safety testing before making their official rollout. But riders should expect these world-class train cars before long.

For many travelers with busy everyday lives, taking a vacation provides an opportunity to finally pick up that must-read bestseller. Becoming engrossed in a good story can be just as relaxing as a trip to the spa or a dip in the pool. But what if you wanted to take things up a notch? Reading retreats — a step up from community book clubs — are quickly gaining popularity in the world of travel. Bespoke itineraries build in time for structured group discussions with like-minded readers, provide valuable reading time away from the distractions of home, and visit fascinating literary-inspired sites. Dive into the growing phenomenon of book retreats.

Reading as a Pastime Is in Decline

One of the more curious aspects of this trend is that reading as a pastime is becoming less popular. According to a recent survey carried out by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the proportion of the U.S. population reading for pleasure has shrunk considerably in the last two decades. The study found that 84% of Americans read for less than five minutes a day in 2023. Approximately 22% of Americans 55 or older read for more than 20 minutes of the day — a marked contrast to Americans who fell into the age 54 or younger category, for which the figure was just 10%. 

Other data paints a similar picture. In a 2022 survey, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) found that only 37.6% of Americans polled said that they read novels or short stories, down from 45.2% in 2012. With all of our modern-day tech distractions, it’s likely that more people just aren’t finding the time to make reading part of their daily routine anymore. 

Making Time for Reading

These findings don’t mean reading as a leisure pursuit has gone by the wayside, however. Trips that celebrate a love of literature are nothing new, as a slew of book festivals and conventions around the world can prove. For example, the Cheltenham Literature Festival has been held in that English city since 1949, making it the oldest of its kind in the world. 2025 was a record-breaking year for attendance, suggesting the prestigious festival continues to resonate with literature fans. 

But reading retreats are different — they take a more personalized approach and are often more intimate than festival events (though such exclusivity can sometimes come with a hefty price tag). Book retreats promise escapism and an opportunity to put aside the distractions of everyday life to focus on a neglected “to be read” list. They offer the chance for avid readers to forge connections with others who share their passion through conversations that dissect reading material and a variety of communal activities. 

Some retreats are focused on a single book, which retreat-goers commonly read in advance of the trip to discuss with other attendees (similar to a book club), while others simply encourage reading in a looser sense, allowing you to curl up with your favorite book during the trip. Companies such as Ladies Who Lit or Book a Break, for example, choose a particular book to focus on for their in-person retreats and offer a lineup of events themed around each selection. 

Tours Centered on Your Favorite Novel

While nothing compares to using our imagination to bring the words on the page to life, immersing ourselves in the real-life destinations that inspired your favorite writers can bring something special to a vacation. In these cases, it’s helpful to have someone lead the way. 

Paul Wright is the driving force behind Books in Places, which organizes literary-inspired tours to a wide range of destinations. Past trips have included reading the 1999 novel Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier in Delft — the Dutch town where the novel is set in the 17th century — and Agatha Christie’s 1937 classic Death on the Nile in Egypt.  

In 2026, Wright’s groups will read Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernières in Kefalonia, Greece; Victoria Hislop’s The Island in Crete, Greece; and Karen Blixen’s memoir Out of Africa in Kenya. Trips range in duration from as short as three to four nights to a week or more and include accommodations.

Fostering Connections

Closer to home, PAGE BREAK fosters community connections in and around New York City through a shared love of reading. The fledgling organization, which launched in 2024, is committed to championing emerging and underrepresented authors. It pledges to donate 3% of the income received from every retreat booking to a relevant nonprofit.

Retreats take place in various locations, such as the Adirondacks and the Hudson Valley, and include accommodations. Brooklyn-based founder Mikey Friedman says the act of reading aloud at these retreats is at the heart of what makes PAGE BREAK a success, giving everyone in the group a voice and the opportunity to be heard. 

As well as encouraging the development of new friendships within the group, reading aloud has other benefits. For instance, research from the University of Waterloo in Canada suggests that saying the words out loud and listening to yourself as you do so aids memory. Signing up for a retreat such as those offered by PAGE BREAK could have lasting, positive effects.

If your last flight in economy class felt more cramped than you remember, it’s not your imagination. The average seat pitch — meaning the distance from the point on one seat to the same point on the seat in the next row — has shrunk by around 2 inches over the past few decades, as airlines try to squeeze in more seats and generate more revenue. While you could pony up for an extra-legroom seat or splurge for first class, sometimes the vacation budget doesn’t allow for it. But the good news it that not all coach seats — and amenities — are the same across U.S. airlines. We turned to a 2025 study from AirAdvisor, a company that helps passengers get compensation for flight disruptions, to find the U.S. airlines with the most comfortable economy class.

5. Hawaiian Airlines

To determine their rankings, AirAdvisor’s survey looked at five key comfort categories: seat comfort (average seat pitch and width), in-flight entertainment, Wi-Fi availability, complimentary food and beverages, and comfort items (such as blankets and pillows).

The fifth-place finisher is good news for anyone with plans to travel to the Aloha State. While Hawaiian Airlines offers average legroom (31 inches) and seat width (17 to 18 inches), the airline provides free meals and snacks on flights from Hawaii to the mainland (and vice versa). Wide-body planes (such as the Airbus A330 and Boeing 787) feature seatback screens, while narrow-body Airbus A321s offer free streaming to your personal device. The airline is also rolling out high-speed Wi-Fi, which will soon be free for all passengers. (Hawaiian merged with Alaska Airlines in 2024, but for the time being, the two airlines plan to operate as separate brands.)

4. American Airlines

The world’s largest airline by fleet size, American Airlines landed at No. 4 in the rankings, but passengers should probably temper their expectations. With an average seat pitch between 30 and 32 inches, economy class on American is still considerably cramped compared with the legroom you’ll find on the world’s top airlines, such as Japan Airlines. 

American reserves its best economy-class experience for long-haul international flights, on which it offers passengers complimentary meals, blankets, and seatback entertainment. On domestic flights, those amenities are typically not available. And no matter which route you fly, there’s still a chance you’ll have to pay for Wi-Fi, as the carrier only recently started rolling out free Wi-Fi. (The process should be complete by the end of 2026.)  

3. United Airlines

Like American, United Airlines has started to offer fast, free Wi-Fi (though no word yet on what all aircraft with be reconfigurd). Its provider, Starlink, offers impressive speeds similar to what you’d find on the ground. In the meantime, the cost to connect starts at $8 for MileagePlus members and $10 for all other passengers. 

United falls a bit short when it comes to average seat width (up to 17.3 inches), and it provides industry-average legroom (30 to 31 inches). However, the airline is investing heavily in seatback entertainment and even offers Bluetooth connectivity on newer aircraft. Snacks and soft drinks — including AHA flavored sparking water and Illy coffee — are also free on flights over 300 miles.

2. JetBlue Airways

New York City-based JetBlue shines in one very important category: legroom. The carrier says it offers the most legroom in coach of any U.S. carrier, with a minimum seat pitch of 32 inches. Some aircraft offer even more legroom (up to 34 inches). However, JetBlue might not hold on to its crown for long — it plans to introduce new first-class seats on shorter flights, which could come at the expense of its industry-leading legroom in coach, as reports suggest.

To its credit, though, JetBlue was the first U.S. airline to offer complimentary Wi-Fi, and every seat has a seatback screen with LiveTV. The airline also is known for its generous free drink and snack options, such as plantain chips, Biscoff cookies, Goldfish crackers, and Quaker granola bars.

1. Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines offers the most comfortable economy class in the U.S., according to AirAdvisor. While the airline’s average legroom is nothing to write home about, you’ll typically find more generous seat width on Delta. Seats are 17.2 to 18.5 inches wide, with the widest seats being found on newer Airbus A220 aircraft.

Most Delta flights offer fast, free Wi-Fi for SkyMiles members, and seatback screens are found on every aircraft type (save for Boeing 717s and those operated under its regional brand, Delta Connection). Soft drinks and snacks are complimentary on flights over 250 miles, while main cabin passengers on long-haul flights receive an appetizer, entrée, dessert, and complimentary beer, wine, and spirits. 

The Least Comfortable U.S. Airlines

Now that we’ve covered the best coach experience among U.S. airlines, you may be wondering which ones to avoid. Tied for last place were two ultra-low-cost carriers: Allegiant and Frontier. 

While those airlines offer rock-bottom fares, it comes at the expense of comfort. Seat pitch on both airlines is below average — as little as 28 inches — and there are no amenities like in-flight entertainment or free snacks and soft drinks. On a positive note, Frontier Airlines offers some of the industry’s widest seats on average. 

With the stress of a long travel day ahead, it’s comforting to be able to check in online ahead of a flight and receive a boarding pass with an allocated seat. When that’s not the case, some travelers naturally may worry. But rest assured: Not being given a seat assignment ahead of boarding won’t necessarily lead to you being bumped from the flight. Let’s take a look at why your boarding pass might say “seat assigned at gate.”

You Bought the Cheapest Ticket

In recent years, there’s been a trend for airlines to segment cabins with an increasingly complex number of fare classes. At the cheaper end of the spectrum, those who’ve paid less for their flight with, say, a basic-economy ticket may forfeit free checked bags, be the last to board, and not be able to choose where they sit on the aircraft (or have to pay extra).

For instance, if you purchase a basic-economy fare on American Airlines, the airline will allocate you a seat at check-in; United Airlines will also pick for you and confirm your assignment before you board. Delta’s Main Basic passengers are told that their seat “will not be assigned until after you check in to your flight. If your seat number does not appear on your boarding pass, your seat will be assigned at the gate before you board.” In turn, this practice of not sharing a seat assignment in advance may also encourage passengers to fork over the extra cash for a seat assignment for peace of mind. 

The Airline Might Be Holding Back Seats

In certain instances, an airline might wish to not allocate all the seats on its aircraft until passengers are fully checked in. Smaller planes, in particular, need to be loaded in a way that they can take off and land safely. Weight must be distributed as evenly as possible to ensure the aircraft remains stable. Some seats may also be held back for passengers with disabilities or those who may need extra assistance.

On other occasions, a plane may be swapped out for another one at the last minute. Seats may be configured differently on the new aircraft, so holding back some seat allocations may make it simpler for gate agents to switch passengers around. Withholding seat numbers might also be a way to prioritize families so that they can be moved to sit together — even if they’ve been issued seats that are more spread out. Gate agents will bear factors such as these in mind before boarding gets underway.

The Flight Is Oversold

This reason is the one every traveler fears. Airlines routinely — and legally — overbook to ensure they fly as full as possible, since a certain percentage of passengers will end up no-showing for a flight. This happens when a passenger doesn’t check in or reach the gate on time, when they miss their connecting flight, or when they decide not to fly and don’t bother to cancel, for example. But if more passengers show up than expected, this means that, from time to time, passengers will be bumped and put on an alternative flight. 

If you’ve purchased a ticket at the last minute, the flight is more likely to be full — and your boarding pass may request that you see a gate agent for a seat assignment. In this case, there’s still a chance that one will be available even if the flight was originally oversold, as airlines will typically ask for volunteers to give up their seats in exchange for compensation. 

You Need To Undergo a Document Check

Airlines need to ensure that anyone flying with them has the right to be on board. Particularly for international flights, the correct documentation (such as a visa) is required to make the journey. Some passengers, therefore, won’t be able to check in online, as they will need to present those documents for inspection at the airport. In rare cases, a carrier won’t allocate a seat until the passenger’s paperwork has been verified. 

A similar situation can arise if it’s a codeshare flight, in which you book with one airline but travel with another. If you find yourself in this kind of situation, it’s best to arrive at the airport as early as possible. Head to the check-in desk or bag drop counter to see if the document inspection and seat allocation can take place as soon as you arrive at the airport. If you’re traveling with only carry-on luggage, it’s wise to present yourself at the gate as soon as it is staffed so you can swiftly receive a seat assignment.