When the coronavirus pandemic hit, some airlines blocked selling middle seats to allow passengers to socially distance while flying. Now, one of those airlines is rolling back the policy. Southwest Airlines will start filling planes Dec. 1, before the Christmas and New Year's travel period.
In an explanatory eight-part Twitter thread, Southwest said the "decision was not made lightly" to unblock middle seats. The airline pointed to scientific sources in changing its policy. For example, it cited an International Air Transport Association report that said just 44 cases of covid-19 transmission -- out of almost 1.2 billion passengers who have traveled since the beginning of 2020 -- were linked to flying.
Delta Air Lines, however, went the other way. "We're extending one of our key health and safety protocols this winter holiday season by blocking the selection of middle seats and limiting the number of customers per flight through at least Jan. 6, 2021," an airline news release said.
Delta's policy works like this: If a person is traveling solo or with one other person, then the middle seat will remain unsold. If three or more people are traveling together, then they'll be able to book the middle seat.
Hawaiian Airlines, which announced late last month that it would resume nonstop daily flights from Long Beach, Calif., to Honolulu starting Dec. 16, will continue to block middle seats through Dec. 15. Alaska Airlines promised to block middle seats, except when large families need them, and limit the number of passengers onboard its planes through Jan. 6.
JetBlue said it would "sell less than 70% of seats" on any flight through the holiday season.
The coronavirus that causes covid-19 is spread in droplets when people talk, cough and sneeze, and in smaller aerosol particles that may travel farther. The droplets may cause infection via the mouth or nose. For that reason, major air carriers require passengers to wear masks during flights.
According to the "Risk of COVID-19 During Air Travel," published Oct. 1 by the Journal of the American Medicine Association, the risk of contracting covid-19 on an airplane is low. It gave high marks to on-board air quality (a mix of fresh air from outside and air recycled through filters) and noted that passengers have little face-to-face contact.
The report advises passengers not to travel if they feel ill, to always wear a mask while on a plane and to wash or sanitize hands frequently. "If there is an overhead air nozzle, adjust it to point straight at your head and keep it on full," the report said. "Stay seated if possible, and follow crew instructions."
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November 01, 2020 at 07:43PM
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