This Canadian Airline's Reclining Seat Upcharge Is Bound To Upset Passengers

Air travel used to be a luxurious and sophisticated affair. The golden age of air travel in the 1950s and 1960s was defined by glamor and exclusivity, with planes offering gourmet meals, white-glove service, and high levels of comfort. Passengers would dress formally and treat a trip by airplane as a special experience. This level of luxury came with a price tag, of course, and flying was hardly a democratic way to travel. But even in the more modern era, flying maintained its sense of style and excellent service.

However, the rise of budget airlines and the huge increase in affordable vacations have meant that cost-cutting measures have made air travel a rather ordinary thing to do. Cheaper prices mean more crowded planes and lower levels of comfort, which are usually seen as fair trade-offs in return for being able to fly across the country or even internationally for rock-bottom base prices. Airlines are increasingly charging extra for what they consider to be "luxuries," like checked bags, and while this might result in a few instances of the travel problem of luggage rage, most people accept these optional extras as part of the compromise. But Canadian airline WestJet's latest innovation — a reclining seat surcharge — might just be a step too far for an already grumpy passenger base. It may even lead to them replacing Flair as Canada's most hated airline!

WestJet announced this upcharge in October 2025, and social media was immediately ablaze with passengers complaining about being taken advantage of. A post on r/WestJet announced that "reclining seats to be removed in Economy on all WestJet 737s," which was met with a wave of anger, frustration, and sarcasm, while users on X and TikTok were similarly shocked.

WestJet have announced that they are undertaking a "full cabin refresh" of their Boeing 737-8 MAX and 737-800 aircraft to "allow enough space on-board to add one seating row compared to the airline's prior standard layout, reducing the cost per seat and helping to provide Canadians with affordable fares and optionality." While the statement understandably focuses on the positives — a premium section with ergonomic seats and more legroom — a closer examination of the details reveals the truth: Normal economy seats on certain flights will no long recline. This essentially means that in order to get reclining seats, passengers have to upgrade.

The responses on Reddit were unsurprisingly cutting. Contributor u/Equivalent_Try_3030 said "This is the same argument when airlines introduced Basic Economy. The result? Basic Economy fare was the same as Normal Economy before but with less benefits." Another Redditor, u/Pinseeker_ said "Sweet. Just keep making air travel less and less comfortable." Then u/Kvas_taras went further, saying "These look like the scoliosis seats on Avianca 🤮 prepare to bring your own seat cushion, Westjetters!!!" Some passengers found humour in the situation, with plenty of jokes about double-decker planes, charging to use the toilets, and saving money by strapping yourself to the wings.

It is easy to understand why frequent flyers feel frustrated. Traveling with low-cost carriers increasingly feels like a chore, with reduced legroom, delays, last-minute cancelations, and extortionate charges for luggage or seat selection. For many, being able to recline and relax during an otherwise fairly uncomfortable, even stressful journey is the last remaining comfortable thing about air travel. There's definitely a feeling that if they keep reducing the levels of service, then passengers will take their custom elsewhere, and budget airlines might be an endangered species.

However, the comments on social media aren't all negative. Plenty of people see this as a reasonable thing for airlines to do, given the low cost of the flight. There's definitely a feeling that if you are paying extremely low prices for something as incredible as flying across the country, then missing out on certain luxuries is a compromise you have to accept! On Reddit, u/Rendeld said "By not allowing seats to recline they can cram another row of seats in and charge like $10 less per ticket which means some people will opt for them over JetBlue and other low cost airlines." Contributor u/Tbayjoy said "for me, it's my cheapest option, and every dollar I don't spend on my flight, I get to spend on my grandkids or on my next trip to visit them. If comfort were the most important thing, I'd spend more and be more comfortable."

Lots of commenters suggested that they didn't see a problem with this approach, as they felt that reclining your seat, particularly on a short-haul flight, was selfish and inconsiderate to the people behind you. Redditor u/Dr_van_nostren said "Tbh, doesn't bother me. The natural incline is decent and having people recline for the entire flight is annoying." McChava agreed, saying "I never recline my airplane seat. It makes so little difference for the recliner and a significant difference for the person behind."

It is certainly a pain when someone sits down and immediately rams their seat back, squeezing the already limited leg room even further. So perhaps WestJet are onto something after all, offering the option to pay extra for more comfort, and those happy with a more upright flying experience save a few dollars more.