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There was once a time when flying was a fairly luxurious experience, but that’s no longer the case for most people thanks in no small part to airlines that have mastered the art of figuring out ways to squeeze money out of customers. That includes one carrier based in Canada that will now require you to pay a premium if you want a seat that reclines.
At this point, shelling out for a first-class ticket is really the only way you can have an experience that most people would describe as “enjoyable” on a commercial flight, which have evolved into what most travelers view as a necessary evil when they’re trying to cover a sizeable distance without sacrificing the time that comes with making the same journey in a car or on a train.
You’re largely at the mercy of the airlines that operate those flights, and most of those companies have spent the past couple of decades figuring out ways to maximize profit with changes that usually come at the expense of the customer, whether it’s charging for bags you were once able to check for free, making you shell out for drinks that should be complementary, or dealing with dimishing legroom that was already at a premium before they began to wage an outright assault on your kneecaps.
Now, we’ve been treated to a new approach to boost the bottom line that I can only hope will not inspire the rest of the industry to follow suit.
WestJet, an airline based in Canada, is charging flyers more if they want to sit in a seat that reclines
There aren’t many aspects of air travel that are a hotter topic of debate than whether or not you should recline your seat on a flight.
As an exceptionally tall person who can literally not fit in an economy seat, I firmly believe that pressing the button to prioritize your comfort over that of the person sitting behind you is a shamelessly selfish move with the potential to trigger a chain reaction that can inconvenience people in multiple rows, and there are rarely any situations where it’s truly necessary or justifiable.
With that said, I’m very aware people who feel differently will argue they’re entitled to recline their seat because they paid for the right to do so—which will no longer be the case for some travelers taking a flight operated by WestJet.
Canada’s second-largest airline recently (and quietly) rolled out an announcement concerning a new cabin configuration that will allow it to add an extra row to the aircraft undergoing renovations, which will now boast an Economy section that exclusively consists of “fixed recline seating.”
WestJet attempted to spin the decision to remove the reclining option as a way to “preserve personal space,” and while there may be something to be said for that argument, it’s also hard to ignore the fact that seats in its Premium and Extended Comfort sections—which cost more to book— still have seats that recline.
As I alluded to above, I’d love to think other airlines won’t take a page out of the WestJet playbook, but I certainly won’t be shocked if that ends up being the case.