What Does The 'X' Mean On Delta's Seating Map?

Delta Air Lines has been around in some form since 1925, and since the airline suffers the fewest delays, it is a highly popular choice for travelers. Whether you fly Delta for convenience or because it serves the ubiquitous airplane snack, Biscoff cookies, you may have encountered something you didn't understand when booking a flight. On the seating map, the available seats are marked as blue chair symbols, while the ones that are occupied are symbolized by a grey figure of a person. You may have also seen greyed out seats with an "X" on them. It's confusing because there are often full rows with Xs on them that you can't select.

Sadly, the X doesn't mean the seats are "reserved for members of the X-Men," per one Redditor on the r/Delta page. Instead, it's so they can be assigned on the day of the flight, and there are some very good reasons for this procedure. The seats may be held for crew members or passengers with disabilities. The entire row may even be reserved in anticipation for families flying together, so parents can sit with their kids. However, there is also a reason why the number of X seats changes depending on the flight.

As you can see in the photo above, there are four full rows (on both sides) that have Xs on them. This is because of something called a "dynamic seat-map algorithm," which is used to help book flights efficiently. This system blocks out some spots on the seating map if the reservation is for one or two people. Typically, these are reserved for groups of three or more, though Medallion elite members flying solo may not find this to be the case. This means different people may see different amounts of Xs when they book their flight, and the number of them can vary depending on the destination.

Why? In simplest terms, the number of these unavailable X seats is determined by the flight's historical booking information. For instance, big vacation spot destinations that have historically been full of larger parties (which can indicate a vacationing family) may have more X seats being held back. If it's something like a commuter flight that is often taken by businesspeople traveling alone, you may not see as many. Of course, if the airline doesn't fill these seats, they are sometimes released closer to departure, so it's worth continuing to check the map to switch up your selection. Finally, if you're flying with Delta, you should also note that there is a new checked baggage policy that warrants getting to the airport early.