JetBlue to stop blocking seats on board in January

Get ready to fight for the armrest again.

JetBlue Airways announced Thursday that it will sell all seats on its flights from January 8. It is the latest carrier to cite advanced onboard filtration systems as reducing the risk of catching Covid-19 on a flight.

All airlines require passengers to wear masks on board but have argued over social distancing on board, in some cases using it in their marketing.

Carriers are struggling to generate revenue and reduce costs as travel demand hovers around one-third of last year’s levels, federal data shows.

JetBlue had previously said it would limit onboard capacity from mid-October to December 1 to 70%, from around 60%. From December 2 to January 7, which includes the holiday period, it will book planes that are 85% full. Joanna Geraghty, president and chief operating officer of JetBlue, said in a staff memo that the end of its seat blocking policy coincides with the “winter period where demand is generally lower and flights are often less full. “.

The carrier joins forces with Southwest Airlines to book full flights. Last month, Southwest announced it would sell all seats on its flights starting December 1, estimating a $ 20 million impact on pre-tax earnings in October and up to $ 60 million in November.

“So we’re not in a position to capture the customer demand that we see in our markets,” carrier president Tom Nealon said in a quarterly call on Oct. 22.

Delta Air Lines plans to continue limiting onboard capacity at least until January 6. Delta’s director of customer experience, Bill Lentsch, told an industry conference on Tuesday that the airline would reassess the policy closer to that date.

“It’s easy to get used to having enough space,” Lentsch said. “But clearly, it’s not something we can support indefinitely.”