CALGARY — WestJet has decided to go back on its plan to reduce legroom on flights as part of a plan to reconfigure plane cabins.The airline said in a statement on Friday that customer feedback and operational data have prompted the decision to change its “cabin-configuration approach” on aircraft where seating had been “densified.”WestJet will now return to its previous “standard seat pitch” for economy cabins on recently reconfigured aircraft.“WestJet tried seat pitches that are popular with many airlines around the globe as they serve to provide affordable airfares,” Alexis von Hoensbroech, CEO of WestJet Group, said in the release.“As an entrepreneurial airline founded on making air travel affordable to Canadians, 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 new configuration had already been installed on 22 of WestJet’s Boeing 737s, but the airline says once a new engineering certificate is received, it will remove one row of seats — converting all 180-seat planes to 174-seat layouts.WestJet says it paused reconfiguration work in December, with plans to finalize the new interiors by mid-February. .But it says it has now “accelerated” its review to “address feedback and provide clarity sooner.”WestJet says it is still “evaluating” other aspects of the new layout, including refreshed interiors, broader cabin reconfiguration investments, enhanced amenities, and modernized design to “improve the guest experience.”“WestJet was founded as an airline centred on guests,” von Hoensbroech said.“It is in this spirit that we will take what we’ve learned and continue to be cost-disciplined and innovative, while staying true to what our guests and our people expect from us.”
