In recent years, airlines have been trading passenger comfort for extra rows, shrinking already-cramped leg room, and removing the ability to recline seats.
One family recorded a video of just how cramped the seating was on their recent WestJet flight. The video went viral on social media, sparking fresh criticism of the airline’s newest planes.
The clip showed two passengers wedged into basic fare seats with almost no legroom. The only way to get “comfortable,” if it could be called that, was for them to stick their knees under the seat in front of them.
A viral look inside WestJet’s new seating
The Redditor who initially shared the clip wrote of the Canadian airline, “WestJet changed their seats, and this is how much leg room basic fares get.” The video, filmed by the older couple’s daughter, showed the parents struggling to shift their legs in the tight space. According to the post, passengers also could not lean back unless they paid extra for premium seating.
At one point in the video, their daughter asked, “Can you straighten out your legs there?” She laughed as they answered, “Impossible.” Shortly after, the mother joked that she would be “sharing the leg space” with her husband, to which the daughter replied, “You have to pay for the other leg.”
WestJet marketed the cabin as a “modern cabin experience,” and it enabled WestJet to add an extra row to its aircraft. While ticket prices dropped slightly for these barebones seats, not many online saw it as a worthwhile tradeoff.
Despite the backlash, WestJet executives defended the changes. Samantha Taylor, executive vice president and chief experience officer, said in a statement that the cabin was “thoughtfully designed to offer WestJet’s welcoming service at every budget.” She added that it reflected a commitment to “a broader range of product offerings” for WestJet’s customers.
Flyers raise safety and health concerns
Online reactions poured in quickly after the clip circulated. One Redditor wrote, “So don’t fly WestJet. Got it.” Another added, “I’d rather drive than sit like that for hours.”
Others raised safety concerns instead. On X, @Aku_700 wrote, “This is a serious safety hazard! If they are involved in a crash landing how are they supposed to assume the crash position that flight attendants recommend? Broken legs, a smashed face, or more, all so the airline can fit a few extra seats on the plane to make even more money.”
Meanwhile, @Padixyz posted, “This is getting ridiculous. Pay for the ticket, then pay to sit comfortably, then pay to recline. At this point, basic fare is just standing with extra steps.”
“Luck of the draw now half the fleet has these torture seats after they paused the rollout from all the backlash,” @emex2rhyme tweeted.
The issue extended beyond WestJet. According to aviation analyst William McGee, major U.S. airlines had lost 2 to 5 inches of legroom since the 1980s. As a result, average legroom dropped to about 31 inches. Budget carriers shrank it further, with some offering just 28 inches. When the FAA solicited comments from the public about legroom on airplanes, McGee wrote, it received over 26K “overwhelmingly negative” comments about health and safety issues with modern airline seats.
One commenter, @siitupe, summed up the situation perfectly, writing, “The nickel and diming is too much now.”
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