The growth of budget airlines has sometimes prompted jokes about paying for things previously seen as basic entitlements, such as seat belts or even seats themselves, but increasingly, aspects of flying that were once taken for granted are now being charged for. Such is the case with Canada’s WestJet, which has announced that, soon, the option to recline one’s seat will only be available for premium ticket holders.
The Canadian carrier is undertaking a cabin refurb on 43 planes, giving its formerly economy-only Boeing 737-8 MAX and 737-800 planes “fixed recline” seating in economy class.
On social media forums, it has become commonplace to see posts detailing arguments and disputes between passengers over reclining seats and the impact they have on the comfort of the passenger situated behind the recliner. A spokesperson for the airline told USA Today that the approach is intended to “preserve personal space” and is in line with what some passengers want.
However, in reality, the carrier’s surveys show that only 50% of passengers prefer removing the option to recline. “Throughout our guest user testing, half indicated they preferred a fixed recline to avoid feeling impacted by other passengers encroaching upon their space,” the airline said.
Instead of being economy-only, the new cabin will still offer reclining seats for passengers in the new 12-seat premium section, with extended comfort seat options in economy that boast “ergonomically contoured seat cushions, reclining seat backs and a large headrest with a four way adjustment capability,” but come at a higher cost.
The seating changes are part of wider updates across the fleet to galley areas and lavatories, and before the end of 2025, high-speed Wi-Fi availability for WestJet Rewards members. It all reflects WestJet’s “commitment to elevating every aspect of the travel experience and meeting guest demand for a broader range of product offerings,” according to Samantha Taylor, WestJet’s executive vice president and chief experience officer.
Taylor added that “Whether they opt for Premium seating with extra amenities and legroom or for more affordable ticket prices with less space, we’re excited to introduce this range of products for our guests to enjoy.”
Describing itself as “a pioneer in making air travel available to more Canadian(s), largely through our ability to keep costs low and to offer affordable airfares – to continue to do so, we need to be willing to try new products and see how they work.” Question marks nonetheless remain over how comfortable these options will be as the airline says it has achieved cost-savings thanks to the “ultra slim-line seats” which it highlights, “allow enough space on-board to add one seating row compared to the airline’s prior standard layout.”
