Southwest Airlines to resume using middle seats in December

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DALLAS - Southwest Airlines is ready to fill the middle seats with travelers.

The Dallas-based carrier said it will no longer limit how many seats are sold after Nov. 30.

Southwest said the decision was not made lightly.

“A growing body of data and research supports that face masks and enhanced cleaning, coupled with HEPA filtration, are highly effective measures to protect against the transmission of COVID-19 in air travel,” the airline said on Twitter.

Travelers are more likely to be struck by lightning than catch COVID-19 on an airplane, Southwest claimed based on studies.

Southwest Airlines blocked travelers from using the middle seats in the spring because of COVID-19.

The decision to use them again comes after the airline said it lost more than $1 billion over the past three months.

Fort Worth-based American Airlines resumed selling middle seats during the summer.