Delta Keeps Middle Seat Ban in Hopes of Spring Recovery

The pandemic cost the airline $12.8 billion in 2020

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The middle seat—undeniably the worst one, pandemic or not—will remain empty on Delta Air Lines, as the carrier has done since the pandemic took hold last year.

Even as competitors have started filling middle seats again, Delta has held firm on its ban and will continue to do so until at least through March. On an earnings call, Delta CEO Ed Bastian told investors that the ban has “generated a meaningful premium” for travelers, becoming a differentiator for the brand throughout the Covid-19 health crisis.

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