What Delta’s big bet on blocking middle seats means to fly

The great experience of locking the middle seat on airplanes has proven what we have known all along about air travel – more people care about cheap fare than comfort or even safety in the event of a flight. pandemic.

Delta said on Monday it was extending its mid-seat block for another month, until the end of April. Delta, the latest U.S. airline to block all intermediate coach seats, will consider new extensions based on Covid-19 transmission and vaccination rates.

So far, Delta believes it is earning the goodwill and trust of customers, especially business travelers, who are not traveling now but will return. Some who have flown during the pandemic have been willing to pay Delta more for more space on board. Most were price-sensitive leisure travelers willing to sit side-by-side for cheap fares – on airlines not blocking the middle seats.

“It’s really about playing the long game and making sure we position this brand for greater success exiting the pandemic,” said Bill Lentsch, director of customer experience at Delta.

The net result for Delta during the pandemic was greater losses than rival airlines that sold all of their seats. Delta has been the most profitable US airline in the last six months of 2019. It turned around during the pandemic. In the last six months of 2020, Delta recorded the largest losses, with a net loss of over $ 6 billion, higher than United and Southwest combined.