Originally Posted by
SteveHK
Let's be real about something - an empty middle seat does nothing in reality except make you feel better. Secondly, from my own experience flying UA, DL, and WN - none of them have been good about enforcement. WN even had a couple of flight attendants only wear them for boarding. DL flight from MSP to AUS had half of the cabin mask-free by take off.
An empty middle seat gives you a bit of space to maneuver, to safely manage your mask when it does need to be taken off, to avoid touching other people and surfaces that they're touching, etc. No, it's not perfect nor a full 6 feet, and yes a person in the row ahead or behind isn't 6 feet away (although perhaps blocked a bit by the seat depending on heights), but it's far better than being jammed in inches from someone on either side.
In any case, airlines simply shouldn't be allowed to advertise in a way that implies they're blocking the middle seats, then not actually do that. "We're filling our planes when we can, you're probably safe enough maybe" isn't as desirable a marketing message, but it is more truthful to let the customer decide whether to purchase on an airline that guarantees a bit of space or not.