Just flew Delta this week. As others have stated, they are serious about aircraft cleanliness and distancing. Agree that their cautious approach during this time will gain them customer loyalty in the future.

I have flown both Delta and American since this started and the difference between the two as far as the handling of cleaning and social distancing was night and day. Next time I have to fly during this it will be on Delta.

Southwest and Delta both try to do the best they can for social distancing. Flyers like me vote with their wallet and support companies that try to do their best, even if it is not perfect and my neighbor is likely to be less than 6 ft away.

We had to fly some business trips both international and domestic. In these uncertain pandemic time Delta is by far the airline to fly. Its distancing and other similar policies make us feel more comfortable and safer while flying.

Awesome.. thank you my former company.. always seem to do the right thing for people and employees..

Go Delta..

You don’t need scientific data to prove that 50 fewer people on an airplane equals 50 less chances of spreading Covid! It’s a numbers game more than a distance game. I fly for a living and often ride commercial to get back home or onto my next gig. Over the past ten years I have chosen to book Delta or Southwest over any other airline for the exact reasons mentioned in this article. Customer service is a huge factor for the flying public when determining which airline to fly. Next time you board an airplane pay attention to the attitudes and actions of the Flight Attendants and you will understand what I am talking about. American and United could learn a lot from Delta and Southwest!

It is awesome how Delta leadership has the long-view and the wisdom to take the steps they take, as they are surely going to bring Delta out of the pandemic as the world's #1 airline. Brilliant on their part!!!!!

Delta all the way, always. They try to do right even in troubling times.

I've always chosen Delta, since 1968, and I expect I always will.

I like the comparison of Apple>Delta and Facebook/Google>others, where Apple leans toward privacy/security as a differentiator. However, we need data & analysis to say with certainty if leaving middle seats open reduces the spread of disease. (COVID or common cold).

Alaska Airlines is also keeping the middle seat vacant...at least for now

"There are few known cases of transmission of coronavirus inside an airplane. Contact tracing after a flight March 31 between the U.S. and Taiwan with 12 symptomatic Covid-19 passengers on board revealed no onboard transmission among 328 other passengers and crew, according to an IATA report. A flight from China to Canada with one symptomatic passenger revealed no onboard transmission. However, preliminary research on a London-to-Vietnam flight on March 2 suggests that one passenger likely infected 14 others, 12 of whom were seated nearby.

Airlines say there haven’t been unusually high infection rates for flight attendants, who spend much more time in airplane cabins than most travelers. At American, flight attendants make up 21% of the workforce and 20% of the Covid-19 cases, says David Seymour, chief operating officer. And 40% of the Covid cases among flight attendants are people who haven’t been to work in 14 days or longer.

“If there were problems, the data would show it,” Mr. Seymour says.

Scientific studies over many years looking at previous virus outbreaks, as well as the current pandemic, suggest that viral transmission between passengers on planes is low on the whole."

https://on.wsj.com/39psZql

With aircraft cabin recycled air the passengers at the left and right cabin windows are breathing a percentage of the same air whether the middle seat is open or blocked.

Some aircraft types provide for turning off the recirculating air fans due to air quality. It is not an abnormal procedure. Fresh pressurized air comes in and dirty air goes out.

Flying for long hours with recycled cabin air and wearing a mask results in poor oxygen intake in my opinion.

For the time being I plan to avoid Air Terminals and aircraft air travel.

Never do 3 seat rows. If I can’t fly 1stC, I don’t go. cheap-ass tix have ruined air travel. Hoping some airline opts to fly 2 seat rows only & charges higher prices...

24-30 inches is NOT going to make a difference!

30 rows. two seats per row. 60 seats @ 30#/seat = 1800# dead weight.
they are a set. you can't take out the middle seat.
if they were really smart, they would just use the middle seat only for seating.

Friend of mine flew Delta from LAX-PVR last weekend. The flight was completely full...