WestJet makes a U-turn on tighter seats after backlash

A union official warned that the new seating plan had placed a huge burden on staff, creating a ‘hostile working environment’

WestJet has reversed plans to cram more seats onto its planes amid a fierce backlash towards the controversial move.

The travel company, Canada’s second-largest carrier, had hoped to use the new layout to lower ticket prices, at the expense of passengers’ space.

New rows of seats were added to nearly two dozen of the brand’s aircraft since October 2025, with two inches of space being lost between all of the cabin’s rows. The new layout was originally planned to be incorporated into all of its airplanes by February.

The move was widely panned, with TikToker Amanda Schmidt posting a viral video of her parents complaining about the lack of space.

In the clip, both Amanda and her parents can be heard joking about squeezing into their seats after boarding the plane.

WestJet has announced that it will reverse its plans to shrink seat spaces on its planes (AP)

“Dad, can you straighten out your legs there?” Amanda can be heard saying.

In response, her parents both laughed and said it was “impossible.”

“You have to pay for the other leg,” Amanda added.

"If they're selling a seat for a human, it should fit a human," she later told CBS News. "It's inhumane, basically, to make people travel like this."

Even the brand’s staff grew frustrated with the new layout. Alia Hussain, president of the union local representing WestJet cabin personnel, revealed that the new seating arrangements had allegedly prompted more passenger complaints.

"It created a hostile working environment for us as cabin personnel," Hussain told Reuters.

In a statement given to Global News, Hussein added that the new seating plan had also led to “emotional strain.”

Passengers had complained that the lack of space on WestJet’s planes was ‘inhumane’ (Getty Images)

“Our members have been telling us very clearly that these reconfigured aircraft led to increased tensions onboard, more frequent escalated interactions with guests, and significant physical and emotional strain,” she said.

Announcing a U-turn on the new layout, WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech confirmed that one row of seats will be removed from its planes.

"WestJet tried seat pitches that are popular with many airlines around the globe as they serve to provide affordable airfares," von Hoensbroech said in a statement. "It's in our DNA to try new products.

“At the same time, it is just as important to react quickly if they don't meet the needs of our guests."

The move will see the number of seats on WestJet’s planes reduced from 180 to 174.

Robert Sumwalt, a former National Transportation Safety Board chair, told CBS News that the U-turn will make travel safer.

"It certainly stands to reason that if you decrease the amount of space between the seats, it's going to make it more difficult for someone to get out in the event of an emergency," he said.

John Gradek, an aviation industry expert at McGill University, added that the move was a necessary one for WestJet. He told Global News that WestJet had “no choice” but to make the change.

“Canadians basically said in a pretty united voice, ‘Enough. We’ve drawn a line in the sand, you’ve crossed that line, and now we’re going to walk,” Gradek said.

The Independent has contacted WestJet for comment.