A Canadian carrier is getting called out for a controversial new add-on charge for what it’s now calling “premium.” No, it’s not an additional baggage charge or carry-on fee. This time, passengers will have to pay extra if they want seats that recline.
Budget airline WestJet recently announced that it’s refreshing cabin design—by disabling passengers’ ability to adjust seats themselves and instead installing new “slim line” seats with “fixed recline” design across the economy side of the cabin.
“The modern cabin experience will offer a bright, airy atmosphere with an upgraded design that features new seats, adjustable headrests and enhanced cushion and back support with a fixed recline design in Economy that helps preserve personal space,” wrote WestJet in an announcement.
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What the New Recline Fee Actually Covers
If passengers want the ability to recline, they’ll have to pay up. “WestJet’s new aircraft interior will feature a refreshed Premium cabin with twelve new seats that are the same model as in WestJet’s 787-9 Dreamliner fleet: ergonomically contoured seat cushions, reclining seat backs and a large headrest with four-way adjustment capability.”
There’s also a mid-range option at the front of the economy section called “Extended Comfort” that seemingly splits the difference. It has 36 seats with extra legroom and will be separated from the Economy cabin by a cabin divider. Some Redditors are guessing that these seats can recline as well, but the announcement doesn’t mention it.
Seating in basic economy will have a range of leg room options—with prices to match. Exit row seating in the Economy cabin is, as usual, the option with the most legroom.
The announcement has sparked strong reactions from Canadian travelers who use the budget carrier for commutes—and the majority were underwhelmed by the news.
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WestJet Cabin Redesign Sparks Controversy
In a recent Reddit thread where the news release was shared and discussed, commenters were quick to call out the corporate double-speak. “‘Reducing the cost per seat and making it more affordable for Canadians’…We won’t see any lower fares,” said SlunkIre.
“This is the same argument when airlines introduced Basic Economy. The result? Basic Economy fare was the same as Normal Economy before but with less benefits,” agreed Equivalent_Try_3030.
Others were quick to calculate leg room lost, noting that with an extra row or two added in, the likely result would be 29″ pitch and “15-16” of room, which seems “impossibly tight” for North American travelers.
Others noted that these new slimline seats looked similar to other budget carriers’ styles, often leaving passengers sorely lacking in comfort. “These look like the scoliosis seats on Avianca 🤮 prepare to bring your own seat cushion, WestJetters!!!”
While the overall consensus was that the new seats were going to be “nearly intolerable,” and another move toward creating just another “ultrabasic” offering, in line with overall airline trends (“I would bet that drink service will start being removed from ultrabasic soon too”), some weren’t so mad at the idea of no more reclining.
Redditor dr_van_nostren wrote “Tbh, doesn’t bother me. The natural incline is decent and having people recline for the entire flight is annoying.”
Others agreed. “To be honest, it barely reclines anyway,” said premierfong. Many others noted that they always find it rude when passengers in front of them recline, and now, this just removes the option for all.
While the change has been ruffling feathers, WestJet is offering some cabin modernizations with the apparent space-saving measures. “The interior will also include in-seat power sources, personal phone/tablet holders and reworked lavatories and galleys.”
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