WestJet moves to install tight seating layout

In the wake of the backlash generated by a viral video, WestJet has canceled a new seat configuration that added an extra row to many of its planes and gave passengers less leg room.

In a Friday email obtained by The Canadian Press, the airline’s vice-president of inflight operations told staff that after feedback from employees and customers executives decided to return the cabins to their previous layout — an expensive restoration process.

Already installed on 22 of WestJet’s Boeing 737s, non-reclining seats in most of the economy sections of the cabin had the smallest amount of legroom on any major Canadian carrier.

The configuration, which was planned for 21 more planes, received national attention after a TikTok video showing the tight fit for passengers received more than 1.1 million views.

Crews and passengers warned that the cramped cabin reduces safety, especially in evacuation situations, and hurts the customer experience.

WestJet said the reconfiguration has gone through a full certification process.

In a news release Friday, CEO Alexis von Hoensbruch said WestJet tried a seat pitch that is “popular with many airlines around the world,” noting that they allow lower fares.

“As an entrepreneurial airline founded to make air travel affordable for Canadians, it is in our DNA to try new products. At the same time, it is equally important to respond quickly if they do not meet the needs of our guests,” he said.

A dozen of the plane’s 22 rows of economy class have 28-inch pitch — the distance between a point on one seat and the same point on the seat in front — while most other carriers’ lower-tier seats have 29- or 30-inch pitch. They also have what WestJet calls a “fixed recline design,” meaning they can’t be tilted backward.

WestJet said it will begin converting all of its tight-packed 180-seat jets to 174-seat layouts after receiving regulatory certification. “The timeline is still being determined,” it added.

This change may come with trade-offs for passengers.

“Paying more to sit in a seat sucks. I get that. But at the same time, some people aren’t financially well off enough to afford more, and if they can have that cheaper option, why not?” said Andrew D’Amores, founder of flight deal site FlyTrippers.

“But it’s certainly very, very small.”

Whatever the impact on fares, the decision represents a direct response to customer feedback – or bad publicity.

“This is one of those rare occasions where people’s voices and opinions have a real impact on how airlines treat us,” D’Amores said.

The narrower rows put some WestJet cabins on par with budget carriers like Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines and Wizz Air, all of which have 28-inch seats.

“At what point do we all stand up and grab the rubber ring handle?” asked one TikTok commenter.

However, the now-nixed configuration made more room for 36 “extended comfort” seats with a 34-inch pitch and 12 premium seats with a 38-inch pitch, both offering larger profit margins.

In mid-December, WestJet halted the move to install the controversial seats on a large portion of its fleet, but also “to support our operations during the peak winter travel season,” spokeswoman Julia Brunet said in mid-December.

“We plan to reconfigure our all-economy aircraft in the spring,” he said.

Not anymore.