Airplane Seats Empty During COVID-19 Pandemic

The airline industry has been one of the hardest hit by stay-at-home orders due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since people around the world have limited travel, airplane seats have emptied, and airlines have decreased the number of flights they offer. (1)

For instance, American Airlines CEO Doug Parker reported in March 2020 that the company planned to decrease its domestic flights to 20% of its original schedule. American would fly only between 10% and 20% of its former international schedule. (1)

American Airlines isn’t alone. At the beginning of 2020, U.S. airlines were able to fill about 80% of airplane seats. Now, flights are flying at about 15% capacity. (1)

These changes have negatively affected airlines’ profits, but their employees likely feel the changes even more keenly. American offered early retirement to hundreds of its pilots. And more than 21,000 are taking unpaid leave. (1)

Airlines Adjust to the Age of Coronavirus 

However, airlines are seeing some hopeful signs of passengers returning to the skies. At the end of April, TSA reported an uptick in the number of passengers it screened each day. (2)

This increase in travelers prompts the question of what airlines are doing to keep both passengers and employees safe. For airlines such as Delta, Southwest, and Alaska, one solution is to block off the middle airplane seat in every row. But while that certainly allows passengers to remain farther apart from each other, the length of one airplane seat doesn’t allow for the full six feet recommended for social distancing. (3, 4, 5)

Social Distancing Airplane Seat Design

Florian Barjot, a French engineer, and his company EarthBay have designed an airplane seat divider that could be the solution airlines need to keep their passengers safe while in-flight. The divider operates on the same concept as the dividers that many stores have put up between cashiers and customers; it provides an added layer of safety even when people can’t remain six feet apart. (6, 7)

The divider, called PlanBay, is designed to be temporary, easy to install, and cost-effective. The divider fits over the middle seat and is secured by straps. It has a lateral protection panel that separates the passengers in the window and aisle seats. Because passengers will not be able to recline their seats, a lateral headrest provides another way to relax. (7)

Another protection panel runs along the back of the top of the three seats, increasing the height between rows. The panel on the back of the middle seat also fills the gap between the seats to decrease the chance of contagion between passengers in different rows. (7) 

Barjot has ensured that the airplane seat divider won’t interfere with inflight entertainment. The panels are contoured so that they won’t obscure tablets in the back of seats. (7)

PlanBay is not yet in production, but EarthBay outlines its next steps on their website. The company will be seeking airlines’ interest in the project and seeking certification from the relevant authorities. (7)

PlanBay is one of the many innovations people have made in the face of COVID-19. Barjot recognized a problem and designed a solution to keep travelers safe. On EarthBay’s website, he writes, “In order to improve the distancing, I imagined this removable kit for an unused seat, that can be used temporarily for the time of an epidemic outbreak and the recovery phase.” (7)