American Airlines Will No Longer Block Middle Seats

Starting July 1st, American Airlines plans to fill its flights to capacity whenever it can and will no longer block middle seats. The news comes at a strange time. Covid-19 cases in the U.S. are soaring! A record high of nearly 40,000 new cases were reported on Friday. Do those numbers make anyone comfortable with this decision?

American Buries The Headline

American Airlines buried the lead in a news release promoting its new Travel Health Advisory Panel. There’s plenty of good information intended to make travelers feel safe:

• The Travel Health Advisory Panel will advise and guide the airline on health and cleaning matters.
• American intends to have its entire fleet of aircraft and lounges accredited to GBAC STAR standards by the end of 2020.
• The airline will limit flight privileges to anyone who refuses to wear a mask without a medical reason. And did just that a week ago.
• Beginning June 30th, passengers will have to certify they’ve been free of Covid-19 symptoms for the past two weeks.

But then in one short sentence, American let us know that middle seats would be open:

As more people continue to travel, customers may notice that flights are booked to capacity starting July 1.

A spokesperson with the airline says they believe it is safe to return to normal capacity. AA will notify passengers when their flights are filling up and allow them to change flights at no cost.

American Airlines Is Not Alone

American joins a growing list of airlines which already don’t block middle seats. Both Spirit and Frontier allow passengers to book middle seats. Allegiant Air allows customers to book middle seats, while advising against it. United Airlines tells ABC News that it does not block middle seats and will book a flight to capacity. United, like AA, will also notify passengers as their flights start to fill and give them the option to change without penalty.

Some Airlines Still Block Seats

There are still a few airlines that block middle seats, the largest of them being Delta Air LInes.

• Delta Air Lines has capped its flights at 60% of capacity in the Main Cabin and plans to block middle seats through September 30th
• Alaska Airlines is blocking middle seats until July 31st. The airline says it will also reduce capacity on its flights until then.
• Southwest Airlines, with its open seating policy, can’t block middle seats. But until September 30th, the airline is reducing capacity on its flights by enough to allow them to remain open.
• JetBlue is blocking middle seats on its larger Airbus jets, as well as aisle seats on smaller aircraft through July 30th.
• Hawaiian Airlines is blocking middle seats until further notice.

Do Empty Middle Seats Matter?

Alright, American will no longer block middle seats. But is flying AA any less safe because of it? I don’t think so.

I would love to avoid being shoulder to shoulder with anyone, during a pandemic or (if I’m being honest) anytime at all. But Covid-19 changes the math. If someone sitting next to me starts coughing, I’m going to be anxious. Can I really trust the cloth face covering they’re wearing?

The European industry group Airlines for Europe says that social distancing on a plane is “neither necessary nor viable.” And they’re not wrong. It isn’t exactly better if the passenger behind me starts coughing, so there really is little difference.

Also, most aircraft use hospital-grade HEPA air filters, which capture 99.9% of airborne particles. And face coverings have been shown to be effective in slowing the spread of Covid-19. Those two factors are likely most responsible for keeping you safe on a plane, or any public transportation.

The Two Schools of Thought

Some airlines are sticking with their best attempt at social distancing, while others have given up altogether. American will no longer block middle seats, while Delta will continue to limit capacity on its aircraft through the end of September.

There are two strategies at work. For American, it’s about maximizing passenger loads and maximizing revenue. AA has seemingly always been willing to fill flights and has been shamed for it more than once.

United Airlines, following a similar policy, has also been famously called out in a tweet by Ethan Weiss that went viral:

I guess @united is relaxing their social distancing policy these days? Every seat full on this 737

Delta, Southwest, JetBlue and Alaska all look to maintain their high customer satisfaction rankings during the pandemic. All of them continue to limit capacity and block middle seats. But by blocking middle seats, they artificially limit their seating inventory — and that means their pricing algorithms will push up fares as they get close to “capacity.” It’s still a revenue play, but one built on higher fares and fewer passengers.

Final Thoughts

I tend to believe the middle seat restrictions are mainly security theater, designed to make you feel safe. Keeping just a bit of distance is somehow reassuring, so many airlines choose to block those seats. Right now, it’s an easy call. The demand for air travel just isn’t there. So there’s no pressure on the seat inventory.

American Airlines is going another direction, eliminating capacity restrictions and trying to get back to normal. They are once again adding flights, offering 2x miles on summer travel (registration required), and having a fare sale to fill up all those extra seats. They’ve also started to reopen Admirals Club Lounges throughout the United States.

American Airlines is betting passengers won’t mind full flights going forward. But with Covid-19 seemingly nowhere near an end, it may be the wrong time to make that bet. And if passenger numbers start dropping again, it may not much matter.

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[Photo of American Airlines 787-9 by Nick-D at Wikimedia Commons]