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In response to traveler feedback, an airline has announced plans to enhance legroom by removing a row of seats on certain aircraft.
WASHINGTON — Following complaints about tight seating, WestJet is retracting its recent strategy to increase passenger capacity on select planes.
This Canadian airline declared on Friday its intention to reinstate the original seat spacing on some of its aircraft by eliminating an additional row that had been added to accommodate more passengers. This decision was made after careful consideration of operational insights and feedback from both passengers and staff, according to the company.
“WestJet experimented with seat arrangements common among many global airlines that help keep airfares low,” stated CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech. “As an airline committed to making flying affordable for Canadians, we are driven to explore new offerings. However, we must also be agile in responding when these changes don’t align with guest expectations.”
Initially, WestJet added an extra row to nearly 24 aircraft, which reduced the distance between rows by approximately 2 inches. The airline halted further modifications in December, intending to finalize its assessment by mid-February. However, the review process was expedited in light of customer responses.
Under the revised plan, affected planes will be converted from 180-seat layouts back to 174 seats. WestJet said timelines for completing the work are being determined.
The airline said the decision reflects its effort to balance affordability with passenger comfort while continuing to invest in reliability and modern cabin upgrades.
“It is in this spirit that we will take what we’ve learned and continue to be cost-disciplined and innovative, while staying true to what our guests and our people expect from us,” said von Hoensbroech.
The move came a few months after WestJet announced a broader refresh of its cabins, with those changes including new interiors, upgraded amenities and expanded premium and extended-comfort seating sections across much of its fleet.
WestJet said it is evaluating other aspects of its interior layouts as part of its ongoing effort to improve the onboard experience.
