I'm sure by now you've heard rumours of airlines blocking middle seats when flights resume in order to help curb the spread of the Coronavirus. Some airlines abroad like Delta are actually starting to do it by capping seat sales at 66% of the plane capacity. But will the airlines here in the Philippines follow in their steps?
The answer is probably no. It just doesn't make much sense to block middle seats as blocking them does not warrant the safety guidelines for social distancing in the first place anyways. Blocking middle seats is NOT social distancing. Social distancing means only 2 passengers per row and the row behind you needs to be empty.
While airlines and aviation agencies try to identify policies best for flying, such as requesting to use the lavatory on Ryanair flights and mandatory temperature checks at boarding gates in most airlines to name a few, the one making more headlines has been the blocking of middle seats as it's been heavily debated so far.
Airlines are already struggling to stay alive and running on just 66% capacity would just run up costs for the airlines. In other words airlines can't make money on 66% load factors and would rather not fly if that is the case.
The only way we see middle seat blocking actually happen is if travelers are willing to pay a premium. However, if travelers continue to value low fares over everything else then we'd likely see airlines do what's best for their bottom lines.