Couple seeks doctor’s note for flight as WestJet speeds up cramped seating review

In an internal message to staff, the airline said it is speeding up a review of its non-adjustable economy seats and could finalize a path forward as early as this week.

A Winnipeg couple says changes to economy-class seating on WestJet flights have left them facing extra costs and a tangle of medical paperwork just to fit comfortably in their seats.

The airline announced last fall it would reconfigure seating on 43 Boeing 737 aircraft, adding an extra row and dividing cabins into more tiers.

The move reduces legroom in standard economy seating, a change WestJet said would maintain safety and accommodation while offering more affordable options.

But Jeremy Dias says those assurances fell short when he and his partner booked a holiday flight from Winnipeg to Toronto. Dias says his partner, who is six feet, five inches tall, already struggles with limited legroom.

Dias says the couple contacted WestJet in advance and were told a doctor’s note confirming his partner’s height would be sufficient.

“Both of us were told that if we were to get a doctor’s note attesting to his height that would be fine,” Dias told Global News.

After submitting the note, he says they were then told a new online medical form also had to be completed by their physician.

That form, Dias says, was a 12-page PDF requiring detailed information and signatures. He says their doctor refused to fill it out, calling the request unreasonable.