cmd320

Best to avoid the 739 then...

GagaPilot

I really think it’s just the “placebo effect.” Blocking seats, capacity restrictions, reduced service offerings, etc. It’s truly intended to make people “feel safer.” While more space is better, is the end result that we are actually preventing the spread? I have my doubts.

And for the person who asked if CR2s have HEPA filters? They do not. I used to fly them as a pilot for a regional.

Zorak

Don't be so sure -- yesterday I had 8A on a CR2 as a DM and had a pilot (in uniform, said they were on their way to work) seated next to me in 8B. But I figure/hope maybe they get tested more frequently? Plus always good to know there's a backup pilot on the plane in case both pilots have the fish

(OTOH on another CR2 flight where we had 3 seats empty, the GA came on to seat another passenger, walked almost all the way to my row, looked at the manifest, turned around and seated the passenger next to someone else, who I presume had lower status this happened pre-COVID though)

Yep, as DLASflyer alluded to above, this was discussed in another thread: Do DL CRJ's have HEPA filters?

tl;dr the CR2 does not have a HEPA filter, but the air does not recirculate, so the fact it does not have one, is not important for COVID purposes.

Justin026

Not sure I see how Delta gets out of this dilemma.. This is essentially headed towards what United said in May -- "don't worry, it won't happen too often." Either the empty seat between parties is important to help achieve a health goal or it isn't important, except as a marketing idea. I wonder how the Mayo Clinic, who Delta says they are in lockstep with, sees the difference between the level of protection for solo travelers on commuter planes vs. the mainline planes?

https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/d...el-even-safer/

jmastron

And United is now apparently "fixing" the problem they created by fake-blocking middle seats (leading to many couples now in aisle/middle) by silently auto-reseating people who are seated like that a couple days before the flight so they can jam more people into "good" seats. Sometimes together, sometimes scattered. I was considering changing our December trip to Delta (paying vs using UA miles), but if I do now know to be extra cautious about ending up on a non-distanced Delta plane.

As stated above, it's not "6 feet or not worth it" -- 6+ feet is better than 1.5 feet, but 1.5 feet is a lot better than jammed together inches from a stranger's face.

cmd320

So tell me how is it okay to be seated directly next to someone on an RJ yet on a mainline aircraft this is deemed unsafe?

jmastron

I was agreeing with those that say it's not okay; they should be avoiding seating strangers next to each other -- which I had thought Delta was doing. Knowing that they aren't doing so on RJs means those who care should be careful about booking one.

fly747first

Coke, Sprite, coffee, and crystalized dihydrogen monoxide too... allegedly lol

MCO Flyer

According to a dummy booking seat-map, it appears if you select a A seat in Y on a CRJ, the B seat is already blocked, but the C/D seats have no ajacent seat blocking and you could be seated next to a stranger if you select one of those seats. It also appears that both the B and C seats are blocked in C+ so no worries on having to sit next to anyone in C+.

cmd320

Interesting, so DL has decided to base its ‘safety’ on class. I can’t imagine that being controversial...

p100a

I don't get the seat blocking... There is still someone's head very close to you in front and behind you. Does covid only flow sideways?

jmastron

Your face is twice as far away from the face in front of or behind you than the one squished up next to you, assuming typical seat pitch/width. And there's the seat itself that may (or may not) be adding some blocking. And you're not touching common surfaces. Yes, keeping more distance would be even better -- my company's air shuttle (nothing fancy, just all-economy regional jets serving a few of the main sites) requires spacing of 1 person per side AND every other row empty (and masks etc). They've kept flying despite very little travel partially for shipments, and partially because it's lower risk for the essential employees than having them fly commercial. But in the spirit of making tradeoffs, next-seat-empty is much better than nothing.

nycityny

I booked a Comfort+ seat on a transcon a few weeks ago for next week. I selected 13A and 13B was automatically blocked. Now it is unblocked due to the policy change. Given that Delta will upgrade folks to Comfort+ nearer to checkin it seems likely that someone will sit next to me which is exactly what I wanted to avoid. The only seats blocked are the middle seats on the 2-3-2 configuration. So sitting on an aisle in the middle section seems to be the only way to guarantee nobody on either side. Is this correct?

cmd320

What policy change was this?

nycityny

The one discussed in post 113 above.

The one that opened up the seat next to me for booking - a seat that was previously blocked a couple of weeks ago.

The one that seems to remove the strict 60% capacity limitation in coach. When booking a ticket the pop-up screen discussing capacity limitations does not mention a fixed percentage.