Delta CEO Ed Bastian said the airline will continue to limit cabin capacity by blocking the middle seat “well into next year”. Delta has blocked the middle seat for months, and the CEO says Delta customers “feel great comfort” in having the extra space.

“We’re one of the few airlines in the world still that’s blocking the middle seat and capping the load factors on our plane at somewhere around two-thirds of the normal capacity,” Bastian told FOX Business.

Delta previously said it would keep the middle seat free until at least 6 January 2021.

Bastian said sale of the middle seat will depend on customer feedback, and there is no definite time when the middle seat will be sold again.

“We haven’t decided when next year is the right time to start to sell the middle seat, but, at this point in time, it’s going to be based very much on customer sentiment,” Bastian said.

“We’re learning from medical experts about advances and dealing with the virus, and when people are comfortable buying and sitting back in the middle seats – and that’s going to take a number of months.”