WestJet reversing move to install tight seating layout

WestJet is cancelling a new seat configuration that squeezed an extra row on board many of its planes and left passengers with less legroom.

In a message to staff obtained by The Canadian Press, the airline’s vice-president of inflight operations says executives made the costly decision to return the cabins to their previous layout following feedback from employees and customers amid a major backlash to the tighter arrangement.

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 leg room on any large Canadian carrier.

The configuration, which had been planned for 21 more aircraft, went on to draw national attention after a video showing the tight fit for passengers went viral.

Staff and consumers warned that the cramped cabin curtails safety, particularly in the event of an evacuation, and hurt the customer experience.

Andrew D’Amours, founder of flight deal site Flytrippers, says the tightly packed environs would also have lowered fares, but that WestJet’s reversal shows that customers’ voices can directly affect airline decisions.

Air passenger rights advocate Gabor Lukacs says he’s pleased, but the airline shouldn’t have made the change in the first place.

“This this was a terrible idea to begin with, and it is very unfortunate that people had to suffer through it to have a backlash, before WestJet would actually listen,” said Lukacs.

He says the company’s ultimate choice is not surprising.

“When you have hundreds or thousands of passengers complaining, then they have no choice but to listen.”

To avoid future tight squeezes, either physically or financially, Lukacs says customers need the federal government to encourage more competition in the air travel industry.

—With files from Srushti Gangdev