United Airlines says blocking middle seat is a PR stunt - TravelMole


United Airlines says blocking middle seat is a PR stunt

Tuesday, 02 Jul, 2020 0

Airlines that block middle seats are doing so for PR reasons, not safety, says United Airlines.

United isn’t blocking the middle seat but other airlines are continuing to limit capacity in the cabin, like Delta Air Lines, JetBlue and Southwest.

"When it comes to blocking middle seats, that’s a PR strategy, that’s not a safety strategy," said Josh Earnest, United’s chief communications officer.

"If you’re sitting in the aisle, and the middle seat is empty, the person across the aisle is within six feet from you, the person at the window is within six feet of you."

Earnest made the comments after health officials criticized American Airlines for changing policy and selling flights at full capacity like United.

Both United and American offer the option for passengers to reschedule their travel when their booked flight becomes close to full.

United is touting other measures to keep passengers safe such as social distancing during boarding, mandating the wearing of face masks and enhanced aircraft cleaning.

Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, agreed with United’s view that ‘there’s no way to properly socially distance on an aircraft.’

However, empty seats offer ‘some flexibility to use selective social distancing by moving people in the event of a medical emergency or seat the rare passenger who can’t wear a mask.’

All major US airlines now require passengers wear masks in the cabin and have started banning those who refuse to do so.



 

profileimage

TravelMole Editorial Team

Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.



Most Read

Mark Jaronski of Explore Georgia on FIFA World Cup 2026

Connecting Small Businesses to Global Tourism Markets: Nate Huff of Tourism Exchange

North Carolina’s Resilience: Wit Tuttell on Recovery and Tourism

Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns

James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel

Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination

Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics

Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy

Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene

Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee

Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail

Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
TRAINING & COMPETITION

Our emails to you has bounced travelmole.com Or You can change your email from your profile Setting Section

Your region selection will be saved in your cookie for future visits. Please enable your cookie for TravelMole.com so this dialog box will not come up again.

Price Based Country test mode enabled for testing United States (US). You should do tests on private browsing mode. Browse in private with Firefox, Chrome and Safari