The great experiment of locking the middle seat of airplanes has shown what we have always known about air travel: more people care about a cheaper fare than comfort or even security against pandemics.
Delta announced Monday that it is extending the mid-seat block one more month, in late April. Delta, the last U.S. airline to block all middle seats in the car, will consider new extensions based on Covid-19 transmission and vaccination rates.
So far, Delta believes it is gaining goodwill and trust with customers, especially business travelers, who are not traveling now but will return. Some who have flown during the pandemic have been willing to pay more to Delta to have more space on board. Most have been price-sensitive pleasure travelers and are willing to sit shoulder to shoulder for economical fares, on airlines that don’t block the middle seats.
“It’s really about playing the long game and making sure we’re positioning that brand to be more successful in coming out of the pandemic,” says Bill Lentsch, Delta’s director of customer experience.
Delta’s end result during the pandemic has been greater losses than rival airlines selling all their seats. Delta was the most profitable U.S. airline in the last six months of 2019. This occurred during the pandemic. Over the past six months of 2020, Delta had the largest losses, with a net loss of more than $ 6 billion, higher than the combined United and Southwest.