Alas, neither trend shows any sign of abating. The obesity epidemic is as bad as ever, and airlines remains as desperate as ever to cram as many customers as possible into their planes.

If things are going to get any better, airlines need solutions more creative than saying, "Let's just jam more people in there." Airbus has an idea that just may fit the bill: Replacing individual seats with benches that flight crews can reconfigure on the fly to suit passengers of different shapes and sizes.

This month, the European aerospace giant received a US patent for a "reconfigurable passenger bench seat," which is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of three seats side-by-side, Airbus would provide a bench of the same overall width. It features seat belts that can be attached at various points, easily accommodating two, three, or four passengers.