Global airlines body opposes leaving middle seats on planes empty, recommends face masks

The body representing global airlines came out against leaving middle seats empty on aircraft Tuesday, as debate intensifies over how to get airlines flying while respecting social-distancing rules in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. Brian Pearce, chief economist at the IATA, said most airlines would have been unable to make money last year if a third of the seats had been removed on the industry's most-flown models. In April, IATA DG Alexandre de Juniac said leaving the middle seat empty was among the likely conditions for a resumption of air travel to be discussed with governments around the world. De Juniac denied that IATA had changed its stance because of the damage flying two-thirds full would do to airline profitability. "The point is to see whether it is necessary to implement measures," de Juniac said. The switch away from leaving the middle seat empty was based on scientific evidence, IATA's medical advisor David Powell said. "Nobody has demonstrated that having the middle seat empty reduces the chance of transmitting covid-19 from one person to another," he said. IATA would instead be recommending wearing masks and face coverings onboard as part of a range of measures including screening passengers before flying to make sure they did not have a fever, plus enhanced cleaning procedures and limited movement in the cabin, as the basis for restarting flying safely. <br/>