Airline Offers Socially Distant Seating: An Empty Middle Seat Next to You for $39

Frontier Airlines is selling a socially distant seating option for an extra fee of $39, CBS Denver reports. Flyers can pay to keep the middle seat next to them empty starting May 8 and through August 31. “Frontier Airlines passengers can now reserve a ‘More Room’ seat assignment—with a confirmed empty middle seat next to them,” Frontier CEO Barry Biffle told the network. He framed the option as something that might provide “extra peace of mind or simply additional comfort” rather than a necessary precaution in the age of coronavirus. The budget airline will start requiring passengers to wear coverings over their noses and mouths May 8. Regardless of whether a ticket buyer pays extra, a filled middle seat seems unlikely right now: just 5 percent of people who traveled by air this time last year are doing so this year, according to CBS.