Delta still will blockmiddle seats through the holidays

Southwest says it will open up middle seats in December.

Southwest Airlines, the second- largest carrier in Atlanta, said it will end its pandemic- driven policy of blocking middle seats Dec. 1.

GaryKelly, CEOof the Dallasbased airline, made the announcement Thursday while reporting the company’s financial results, saying, “This practice of effectively keeping middle seats open bridged us from the early days of the pandemic, when we had little knowledge about the behavior of the virus, to now.”

“Today,” his written statementcontinued,“alignedwith science- based findings from trusted medical and aviation organizations, wewill resume selling all available seats for travel beginning December 1, 2020.”

Southwest said customers on “fuller flights” can rebook to another flight if desired.

Atlanta- based Delta Air Lines, the dominant carrier at Hartsfield- Jackson International Airport, has said it

plans to block middle seats through Jan. 6, making it the only major network carrier to do so through the holiday travel season.

However, not all airplanes have middle seats. Onsmaller aircraft like Delta Connection regional jets with two seatson each side of the aisle per row, passengerscouldstillbeseated directly next to a stranger. Delta says it will block “select aisle seats” on those aircraft.

Travelers may also still see middle seats occupied on larger Delta planes. That’s because families and groups traveling together can book a middle seat to sit next to each other.

Delta said in August that it would cap seating on its planes at 75% capacity in the main cabin from October through early January. That’s up fromthe 60% cap it had through Sept. 30. In business class on Delta widebody jets, which have more spacious seating configurations, there are no capacity limits.

WhenDelta will lift seating caps will depend on “consumer sentiment and confidence in air travel,” CEO Ed Bastian said last week. “Sometime in the first half of next year, I have no doubt we will be lifting those caps,” he said.

CHRISTOPHER REYNOLDS/ LOS ANGELES TIMES Passengers fill a Southwest Airlines flight in Junewith middle seats left open. CEOGary Kellywrote that “we will resume selling all available seats for travel beginning December 1.”