Delta to keep blocking middle seats amid ‘surging virus’

Delta will keep blocking middle seats through the first quarter of next year, outlasting other US carriers because it wants to reassure customers about the safety of aircraft cabins. While Delta considers it “safe to sit in the middle seat” despite the coronavirus pandemic, the company wants to assuage any potential passenger anxiety, CEO Ed Bastian said Wednesday. Delta will hold middle seats open through March 30 instead of Jan. 6, as previously planned. “The reason we’re keeping them open is about consumer confidence,” Bastian said. “In the face of surging virus, this is not the time to fill the empty seat.” Delta’s pledge bucks an industry trend as airlines seek to boost ticket sales and insist that studies show a low risk of transmission in jetliner cabins. Carriers began blocking some seats early on in the pandemic as a way to provide a measure of social distancing. Airlines have also required face masks. “It’s expensive, there’s no question about it,” Bastian said about limiting onboard capacity. “We’re in a good position that we can afford to do that.” Bastian said he gets tested for coronavirus three times a week and requires the same of people who work most closely with him. Delta, which has been testing its employees since June, offers a 15-minute rapid option at its headquarters, he said. Preflight virus testing won’t work in the US because of the sheer volume of daily travelers, Bastian said. But it will help open international markets by allowing passengers to avoid lengthy quarantines imposed by some countries.<br/>