The grand experiment to block the middle seat on airplanes proved what we knew about air travel: more people care about a cheap fare than about convenience, or even safety from pandemics.
Delta announced on Monday that it will extend its middle seat block for another month until the end of April. Delta, the last US airline to block all middle seats in the coach, will consider further expansions based on Covid-19’s transfer and vaccination figures.
So far, Delta thinks it deserves goodwill and trust from customers, especially business travelers, who are not traveling now, but will return. Some who flew during the pandemic were willing to pay Delta more for more space on board. Most were price-sensitive travelers who were willing to sit shoulder-to-shoulder for cheap fares – in airlines that do not block middle seats.
“It’s really about playing the long game and making sure we position this brand for greater success coming from the pandemic,” said Bill Lentsch, Delta’s chief customer experience officer.
At the heart of Delta during the pandemic were larger losses than competing airlines selling all their seats. Delta was the most profitable U.S. airline in the last six months of 2019. It turned around during the pandemic. In the last six months of 2020, Delta had the largest losses, with a net loss of more than $ 6 billion, larger than the United and Southwest combined.