WestJet Says Its Monitoring Feedback After Passenger Video of New Economy Seats Goes Viral

Pilots taxi a WestJet Boeing 737-700 aircraft to the runway for departure from Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., on May 19, 2023. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

A viral video of WestJet’s new economy-style seating has some passengers concerned about comfort and safety, while the company says the changes are “in line” with other North American airlines.

WestJet announced last September plans to upgrade its aircraft by replacing its traditional economy class reclining seats with fixed-back designs. The company said at the time the change would offer a new range of seating options for its Boeing 737-8 MAX and 737-800 aircraft, and would help “preserve personal space.”

A video posted by an Alberta woman on social media shows her parents sitting in the seats unable to bend their knees in the new fixed-back design seating.  

The Dec. 27, 2025, video was captioned “the seats should at least fit normal sized humans.” It has garnered more than 1.1 million views.

WestJet confirmed to The Epoch Times via email that the video was recorded on one of the newly reconfigured aircraft, which was modified to include an extra row by varying seat pitch between 38 and 28 inches.

Spokesperson Julia Kaiser said the pitches were in line with other North American airlines. She said the airline currently has 21 aircraft with the configuration.

“We are closely monitoring guest and employee feedback to assess the product’s performance, comfort and suitability, while ensuring our unwavering commitment to safety remains at the forefront of every decision we make,” Kaiser said.

Kaiser added that the aircraft went through an “extensive safety and certification process” as part of the reconfiguration process.

“All modifications were completed in accordance with Transport Canada’s rigorous airworthiness standards and WestJet’s own high internal safety requirements,” she said in the email.

WestJet said in a December statement it was pausing a complete installation of non-reclining seats prior to the holiday travel season. The airline said it had completed about half of its economy fleet, and the initiative had been put on hold as of Dec. 15, 2025.

WestJet said it expected to resume updating the seats on remaining aircraft in the spring.

WestJet vice-president Robert Antoniuk told staff in an internal memo obtained by The Canadian Press that the updates would only be done on 22 planes “for the time being.” The memo noted that the company would review feedback from staff and passengers.

The pause followed a flight in which representatives—from flight attendant and pilots’ unions to company executives—tested the new seats on a scheduled flight from Toronto to Calgary, according to the memo. The goal of the trip was “to gather a shared understanding of the product, the space and the experience,” Antoniuk wrote.

The WestJet section of the Canadian Union of Public Employees previously compared the reduced leg room to “ultra-low-cost carriers” like Spirit, Wizz Air, and Frontier in a bulletin to its members. The union also said the seating changes would be difficult for guests with “varying mobility,” and those travelling with car seats or pets.

It added that the change raises the risk of “guest frustration.”

The Canadian Press contributed to this article.