The big experiment of locking the middle seat on airplanes proved what we always knew about air travel: more people care about a cheaper fare than the comfort, or even the safety of the pandemic.
Delta announced on Monday that it is expanding its average block of seats for another month, until the end of April. Delta, the last US airline to block all seats in the middle of the bus, will consider further extensions based on Covid-19 transmission and vaccination rates.
So far, Delta believes it is gaining goodwill and trust in 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-conscious leisure travelers, willing to stand shoulder to shoulder for cheap fares – to airlines that don’t block seats in the middle.
“It’s about playing the long game and making sure we position this brand for greater success coming out of the pandemic,” says Bill Lentsch, Delta’s chief customer experience manager.
The bottom line for Delta during the pandemic was higher losses than rival airlines that sold all their seats. Delta was the most profitable airline in the US in the last six months of 2019. It overturned 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.