WestJet pauses installing non-reclining seats after blowback — for now

WestJet VP Robert Antoniuk told staff in a memo the new configuration will only go ahead on 22 planes "for the time being," with 21 of those already sporting the tighter interior.

Calgary-based WestJet has paused a move to install non-reclining seats on a big slice of its fleet after pushback from employees and passengers.

The airline announced in September it would reconfigure the seating on 43 Boeing 737 jets to install an extra row and divide the cabin into several tiers, some with more space — and pricier tickets — than others.

Many of the economy seats would have less legroom than the previous layout and feature what WestJet called a “fixed recline design,” meaning they could not be tilted back.

In an internal memo obtained by The Canadian Press, WestJet vice-president Robert Antoniuk told staff that the new configuration will only go ahead on 22 planes “for the time being,” with 21 of those already sporting the tighter interior.

In the meantime, the Calgary-based company will conduct a review and “continue to gather feedback from guests and employees,” he said in the message Tuesday.

The notion that passengers would have to pay for a reclining seat — or else occupy a static one with less space — generated some blowback from passengers as well as flight attendants over the past few months.

In a bulletin to members, the union pointed to reduced leg room “comparable to ultra-low-cost carriers like Spirit, Wizz Air and Frontier.” It said the more cramped conditions made it harder for guests with “varying mobility,” car seats and pets, on top of limited overhead bin space “despite an increase in guest capacity,” according to the August update from the WestJet contingent of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

The change would raise the risk of “guest frustration” and result in less rest for crew members who would have more difficulty sleeping on board while commuting to an upcoming shift, the union said.