Southwest to limit seats sold on each flight through July: CEO

Southwest will continue to limit bookings on its flights through at least July to give passengers space between seats, CEO Gary Kelly told shareholders on Thursday, mirroring a plan by competitor Delta. Social distancing on planes has become a topic of debate as airlines weigh safety measures to restore confidence in air travel that has collapsed during the coronavirus pandemic. “You won’t see full flights on Southwest at least through the end of July, and if we do have more demand for that flight, we’ll add additional flights to meet demand,” Kelly said at its annual shareholders’ meeting, which was held virtually. Delta also plans to continue limiting the number of passengers on each flight through at least July, people said. Southwest said on Tuesday it recorded positive bookings on a net basis so far this month as passenger reservations outpaced trip cancellations, helping the company slow its cash burn rate.<br/>