WestJet reversing move to install tight seating layout
CBC
In the wake of a backlash sparked by a viral video, WestJet has cancelled a new seat configuration that squeezed an extra row on board many of its planes and left passengers with less legroom.
In a Friday email obtained by The Canadian Press, the airline's vice-president of inflight operations told staff that executives made the decision to return the cabins to their previous layout — a costly reinstallation process — after feedback from employees and customers.
Already installed on 22 of WestJet's Boeing 737s, the non-reclining seats in a majority of the cabin's economy section featured the smallest amount of legroom on any large Canadian carrier.
The configuration, which had been planned for 21 more aircraft, went on to draw national attention after a TikTok video showing the tight fit for passengers drew more than 1.1 million views.
Staff and travellers warned that the cramped cabin curtails safety, particularly in the event of an evacuation, and hurts the customer experience.
WestJet has pointed out that the reconfiguration underwent a full certification process.
In a news release Friday, CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said WestJet tried out a seat pitch that is "popular with many airlines around the globe," noting they allow for lower fares.
"As an entrepreneurial airline founded on making air travel affordable to Canadians, it's in our DNA to try new products. At the same time, it is just as important to react quickly if they don't meet the needs of our guests," he said.
A dozen of the 22 rows in the planes' economy class feature 28-inch pitch — the distance between one point on a seat and the same point on the seat in front — versus 29- or 30-inch pitches on most other carriers' lower-tier seats. They also have what WestJet calls a "fixed recline design," meaning they cannot be tilted back.
WestJet said it will begin to convert all of its tight-packed 180-seat jets back to a 174-seat layout after receiving regulatory certification. The timeline is "still being determined," it said.
The change could come with trade-offs for travellers.
"It sucks to have to pay more to fit into a seat. I get that. But also some people are just not well off financially enough to be able to afford more, and if they can have that cheaper option, why not?" said Andrew D'Amours, founder of flight deal site Flytrippers.
"But it is certainly very, very tiny."
Whatever the effect on fares, the decision represents a direct response to customer feedback — or bad publicity.
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