Overview
- WestJet will remove the added row from reconfigured Boeing 737-8/800 aircraft and reinstate its prior economy seat pitch.
- The 180-seat layout was already installed on 22 jets and planned for 21 more, using fixed-recline seats with about a 28-inch pitch.
- Customer and employee backlash intensified after viral TikTok videos showed passengers struggling to fit in the tighter rows.
- WestJet says conversions will start once an engineering certificate is issued, with phased work expected to finish by year-end.
- The airline framed densification as a way to keep fares low using globally common pitches, while staff and advocates raised comfort, safety and accessibility concerns.