Delta Air Lines has finished the practice of blocking seats in the middle of its aircraft until January 2021. On Thursday, the Atlanta-based airline announced that its current ban, which will expire in late September, will run until next year. . Array For the duration of the ban, passengers will not be able to choose the middle seats on the initial booking or check-in.
“The medical experts, who added our own partners at Emory Healthcare, agree: greater distance on board makes a difference,” said Bill Lentsch, director of customer experience in a statement. “We believe that taking care of our consumers and workers and restoring confidence in air travel protection is more vital right now than occupying each and every seat of an aircraft. We will continue to apply a thoughtful and layered technique so that consumers know they deserve to expect the utmost care when preparing for their vacation trips.”
By extending its seat-blocking policy, Delta becomes the first major airline to expand the practice until 2021. Other major airlines, such as Alaska, Southwest and JetBlue, have also brought intermediate seating blocks, none of the other airlines have yet expanded the practice. 2021.
American Airlines and United Airlines, Delta’s two main domestic competitors, stopped blocking seats in the medium term before this summer.
In theory, the practice of blocking middle seats is helping passengers create a social distance and prevent the spread of coronavirus within the boundaries of an airplane’s cockpit. However, some point out that even with the middle seats locked, passengers cannot stay separated six feet. Others point out that updated cleaning policies and HEPA filters do enough to stop the spread of coronavirus in aircraft.
This is a thin line for airlines to thoroughly balance passenger protection (or at least the belief of protection) with the tacit desire to fill aircraft and maximize profits. With the middle seats locked, the Boeing 737 or Mid-aisle Airbus 320 aircraft in the United States can only be reserved for approximately 66% of its capacity; However, for an airline to reach equilibrium, this load will need to be closer to 75%.
Needless to say, some carriers have done the calculations and have decided that they are willing to take on the loss to balance the feeling of passengers with the criteria of aptitude and profitability. For Delta, this means keeping the middle seats empty until at least January 2021. Other airlines may not have the flexibility or preference to make the same decision.
Grant Martin works as a product manager and in the generation sector. In 2007, he joined Gadling of AOL as an airline. Currently, it contributes to a variety of
Grant Martin works as a product manager and in the generation sector. In 2007, he joined AOL’s Gadling as an airline. He currently collaborates on a variety of publications, adding Forbes and The Economist, and is a general publisher loyalty company at Skift.