Delta Airlines Will No Longer Block Middle Seats Starting May 1st

(Atlanta, GA) — Delta Air Lines is ending its COVID-19 policy of blocking middle seats on all flights beginning May 1st. Delta extended the policy several times during the pandemic, most recently in February. Delta CEO Ed Bastian says the airline’s decision is based on the increasing number of COVID vaccinations. It’s the last U.S. airline still blocking middle seats in regular economy as a safety measure. United Airlines only briefly blocked seats, and American Airlines abandoned that last summer. Southwest and JetBlue ended the practice in December.