Fort Worth’s American Airlines, other carriers are no longer keeping middle seats open
American Airlines and other carriers are warning customers that aircraft are likely to be more crowded in July as air travel resumes following the COVID shutdown.
Fort Worth-based American Airlines said that effective July 1 the company is no longer pledging to keep at least half of each plane’s middle seats empty, to help passengers keep a social distance between themselves and others on the flight.
“As more people continue to travel, customers may notice that flights are booked to capacity starting July 1,” American said in a Friday news release. “American will continue to notify customers and allow them to move to more open flights when available, all without incurring any cost.”
Other airlines also are already booking more of their middle seats. As USA TODAY reported, United Airlines chief executive officer Scott Kirby says there’s no such thing as social distancing on a plane.
American also reiterated that the company requires passengers to wear masks on its flights, and could suspend the flight privileges of passengers who refuse to cover their mouths and noses. Exceptions are made for people who can’t wear masks for a medical reason.
American also announced that it has created a new Travel Health Advisory Panel with Vanderbilt University Medical Center to provide guidance on health measures and cleanliness aboard airplanes.
Earlier this month, American officials said that, while business travel remained very low because of concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, leisure travel bookings for the summer were on the rise. The airline is resuming more frequent flights to destinations such as Florida and Colorado to meet the growing demand.
