WestJet to charge economy travelers extra for…
To sit back and chill out is a privilege on this airline.
Budget Canadian airline WestJet has announced that prospects will no longer give you the option to recline seats on their plane — unless they pay extra.
The airline said they’re reconfiguring its Boeing 737-8 MAX and 737-800 plane to offer a “modern cabin experience” with new seating choices.
Economy seats can have a fixed recline design to help passengers “preserve personal space.”
While fixed-recline seating isn’t essentially a new thought — Spirit, Allegiant and Frontier Airlines are among those who have sacrificed reclining seats — WestJet is asking flyers to pay extra if they want to recline.
The new plane interiors can have a Premium cabin with 12 new seats that have reclining seat backs, a large headrest with four-way adjustment functionality and ergonomically contoured seat cushions — the same model as in WestJet’s 787-9 Dreamliner fleet.
Though there’s still no reclining seats in the new and bigger Extended Comfort part of the economy cabin, the 36 seats positioned immediately behind Premium can have extra legroom and might be separated by a cabin divider.
“The cabin has been thoughtfully designed to offer WestJet’s welcoming service at every budget,” Samantha Taylor, WestJet Executive Vice-President and Chief Experience Officer, said in a assertion.
“It reflects our commitment to elevating every aspect of the travel experience and meeting guest demand for a broader range of product offerings.”
Economy seats can have a fixed recline design to help passengers “preserve personal space.” bunbok – stock.adobe.com
The new seat format will permit the airline to add one seating row in contrast to the prior format, which is able to finally scale back the price per seat.
“The layout for our refreshed cabin caters to our guests’ diverse preferences,” Taylor explained. “Whether they opt for Premium seating with extra amenities and legroom or for more affordable ticket prices with less space, we’re excited to introduce this range of products for our guests to enjoy.”
According to WestJet, the seats in the back of the cabin, rows 20-31, can have the least space, there might be barely more space in rows 15-19, and the seats in the entrance of economy can have the most space within that cabin.
The new plane interiors can have a Premium cabin with 12 new seats that have reclining seat backs. apichat – stock.adobe.com
An airline passenger rights advocate told Canadian national broadcaster CBC that this transfer is asking people to pay more for a function they already had and now misplaced.
“The imagination of airline marketers never stops to astound me: the depths they will go through kind of give people an impression that if I pay more, I get more,” John Gradek, an aviation lecturer at McGill University, said. “Right now, it’s like you pay more to get what you had.”
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