Canadian Airline to Charge For Reclining Seats
Posted on: October 17, 2025, 12:54h.
Last updated on: October 17, 2025, 01:06h.
- Canadian airline WestJet plans to charge customers extra to recline their seats
- The company is reconfiguring 43 planes to force economy passengers to sit in “fixed recline” position
- Canadian tourists don’t really need more reasons not to visit Las Vegas
Canadians sick of being nickel-and-dimed in Las Vegas now have a new reason to reconsider flying there — but this one was devised in their home and native land. WestJet, Canada’s second-largest carrier, has announced a controversial overhaul of its cabin layout that will soon require passengers to pay for the “privilege” of reclining their seats.
Starting in early 2026, WestJet — which offers direct flights to Las Vegas from Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, and Edmonton — will no longer operate as an all-economy airline. The carrier is retrofitting 43 of its Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8 aircraft — roughly one-third of its narrowbody fleet — with a new three-tier seating model designed to monetize comfort and space.
Classing it Down
WestJet’s redesign will divide its 43 aircraft into:
1. Standard Economy (Coach)
- Seats locked in a fixed-recline position
- Minimal legroom
- Back of the plane seats make you the last to exit
2. Extended Comfort (Business)
- A separate section with 36 seats
- Reclining backs, extra legroom, power outlets
- Priority boarding and other soft perks
3. Premium (First Class)
- A separate section with 12 seats
- All Extended Comfort features
- Contoured cushions
- Four-way adjustable headrests
- Enhanced food and beverage service
The airline is spinning the change as a positive — a way to “preserve personal space” and “create more options for Canadians.”
Because of course it is.
“The cabin has been thoughtfully designed to offer WestJet’s welcoming service at every budget,” a WestJet exec said in a company press release. “It reflects our commitment to elevating every aspect of the travel experience and meeting guest demand for a broader range of product offerings.”
Canuckle Sandwich
Predictably, many Canadians have slammed the move.
“This is a cash grab,” John Gradek, aviation management lecturer at McGill University, in an interview with CBC News. “The imagination of airline marketers never stops to astound me. The depths they will go to give people the impression that if I pay more, I get more. But right now, it’s like you pay more to get what you had.”
The first retrofitted Westjet aircraft entered service this week, and the full rollout is expected by early 2026. WestJet’s broader fleet strategy includes expanding its Boeing 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliner fleets, with 67 new aircraft on order through 2035.
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