SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — As coronavirus cases continue to climb nationwide, some airlines are pushing to get back to normal - bringing back the dreaded middle seats.
"The airlines want to fill them [seats] up. I understand that they've lost money. I get it," said Dean Otts. "But I would have preferred a little more distance."
Otts is a software training consultant and travels a lot. He typically takes four to six flights per week.
On Thursday he spoke to News 8 from Carlsbad after flying from Birmingham to Dallas, and Dallas to San Diego on American Airlines.
"Oh, it was absolutely full. There wasn't an empty seat on the plane. Middle seats were full, everything," said Otts regarding the flight from Dallas to San Diego.
Despite criticism from public health experts, last week American Airlines resumed booking flights to full capacity, allowing people to sit in the middle seat. Other airlines on that list include United, Allegiant, Spirit and Sun Country.
The airlines still banning the middle seat include Delta, Southwest, Hawaiian and JetBlue, though the move is only temporary. JetBlue's ban ends July 31. Hawaiian's ban ends August 31. Delta and Southwest are banning them until September 30.
There's now a push by at least one lawmaker to ban the middle seat all together during this pandemic.
US Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon tweeted a photo while on a packed American flight last week, calling it "incredibly irresponsible."
A spokesperson for United Airlines told CBS News:
"When our competitors talk about middle seats, they're talking about a PR strategy, not a safety strategy. A safety strategy is one that is focused on wearing masks."
Otts said he's noticed plenty of people not wearing masks properly. His hope is that people would remember a simple message: "By taking care of themselves, they're taking care of others. It would be a huge benefit to everybody going forward," he said.