- American Airlines and Delta Air Lines took two very different approaches to the pandemic.
- Delta has been blocking intermediate seats since April 2020, while American has never adopted the policy.
- I made three flights on both airlines in 2021 to see how they were dealing with social distance in the skies.
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American Airlines and Delta Air Lines were the two largest airlines in the United States before the pandemic, each generating billions in revenue each year and boasting the largest fleets of any global airline. Both offered similar products, with the choice between the two boiling down to factors such as customer preference, price and loyalty.
The divide between them increased during the pandemic, however, thanks to a key factor: security. While Delta blocked intermediate seats for most of 2020, American packed its planes already in the summer.
I flew on both airlines in June 2020 on my first trip back to heaven since the start of the pandemic and found that Delta was much better than the American, largely because of the approach above and beyond security. But as we entered a new year in aviation recovery, I wanted to see how the two of them were doing for almost a year since COVID-19 changed directions.
I made three flights between the two airlines on a recent trip, flying from New York to Miami on American and then from Houston, Texas to Los Angeles via Salt Lake City on Delta. The result was surprising, especially as the United States continues to see record records of COVID-19-related deaths and slow implementation of the vaccine.
Here’s which one dealt with the pandemic flying better in 2021.