Delta Blocking Middle Seat Sales Through April 30, 2021: Should More Airlines Do This?

Delta Blocking Middle Seat Sales Through April 30, 2021: Should More Airlines Do This?

February 8, 2021 Jim Byers

Delta says it’s continuing its industry-leading commitment to provide more space on board as the only U.S. airline to block middle seats and limit capacity on all flights departing through April 30, 2021, ensuring customers can confidently plan and book their spring travel.

“The airline has consistently listened to its customers and prioritized their preferences by offering more space through seat blocking and reducing the overall number of people on board each flight since April 2020,” officials said.

This is clearly a big factor for fliers. Air Canada and WestJet were blocking off middle seats last year for some time, but they went back to “normal” sales some time ago, with enhanced safety measures in place.

If planes are full, and some folks who’ve flown lately say a lot of them are fairly packed due to limited routes, then perhaps it’s simply a revenue issue. If you can sell middle seats, then why not sell them?

“We want our customers to have complete confidence when traveling with Delta, and they continue to tell us that more space provides more peace of mind,” said Bill Lentsch, Chief Customer Experience Officer. “We’ll continue to reassess seat blocking in relation to case transmission and vaccination rates, while bringing back products and services in ways that instill trust in the health and safety of everyone on board – that will always be Delta’s priority.”

Details on Delta’s seat blocking policy can be found here.

Peace of Mind When Planning, Booking and Flying

In addition to extending seat blocking commitments, Delta is taking other steps to reassure customers as they return to travel in the months ahead, such as:

Making it easier to understand testing requirements and get tested prior to travel, whether customers purchase an at-home test or find a nearby location for in-person testing, with more options on the way.

Creating an interactive travel map to help customers understand where Delta flies and the latest travel requirements or restrictions at their destination.

Streamlining travel by building a digital concierge to manage booking, test scheduling and automatic document verification all in one place on delta.com and the Fly Delta app.

Deploying a dedicated team of clean ambassadors who will ensure a consistently safe and sanitized experience at more than 55 airports.

Expanding rapid testing centers to Delta’s hub airports in Minneapolis and Detroit, which follow other testing facilities at Atlanta, Boston, New York-JFK and Seattle. Delta Vacations selling only international hotels and resorts that offer in-hotel testing for travel through April 2021.

Through the Delta CareStandard, Delta has also put in place more than 100 layers of protection to ensure a safe travel experience, including a comprehensive employee testing program, regularly sanitizing high-touch surfaces and replacing onboard industrial-grade HEPA filters twice as often as recommended.

As Delta welcomes more customers back on board, the airline continues to invest in offering a superior customer experience, including refreshing more than 300 new in-flight entertainment options and recently announced plans to bring high-speed Wi-Fi on board this year.