Why Delta is leaving middle seats empty during the pandemic

The number of people flying today is down about 75% from a year ago. And in the fight to attract those few passengers who remain, airlines have promoted their health and safety policies. Delta has tried to stake a claim as one of the most cautious companies in the industry by promising to leave middle seats empty even as American Airlines and United are selling as many seats as they can. Delta has also said that it cleans planes between flights, tests all employees for the coronavirus and aggressively enforces a mask requirement. On Monday, it announced a partnership with Lysol’s parent company aimed at improving Delta’s cleaning practices. The man responsible for all of those initiatives is Bill Lentsch, a 30-year veteran of the airline who is its chief customer experience officer. In an interview, he explained Delta’s approach. Story has excerpts from the conversation.<br/>