WestJet execs tried cramped seats on flight weeks before viral video sparked backlash

MONTREAL – On a calm, cloudy day in Calgary last November, WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech stepped onto a plane bound for Toronto along with five other executives, the chairman of the board and several union representatives to try out the new, super-tight seating at the back of the cabin.

Sitting in rows 27 and 28 out of 31, the group gathered on the Boeing 737 at the request of unions officials who cited concerns around a new seat configuration that featured less legroom than ever on most economy seats — and went on to draw national attention after a video showcasing the tight fit for passengers went viral.

In a TikTok post by an Alberta woman that has racked up more than 1.1 million views, her parents can be seen squeezing into a row that leaves barely enough room to move their legs.

“Impossible to straighten out my knees to the front,” says her father in the Dec. 27 post.

“I’m going to be sharing my leg space with him,” adds her mother.

The online backlash and union response underscore questions of safety and comfort on WestJet narrow-body planes that can accommodate lower fares and more passengers — 180 — but potentially at the cost of traveller experience.

Fewer than six weeks earlier, the company’s chief executive occupied an identical seat to the TikTok user, and graciously offered to take the middle one, said Alia Hussain, who chairs the flight attendant union’s WestJet contingent and sat next to him.

Most executives who were on board “acknowledged that the seating configuration would present challenges” on longer trips and night flights due to the limited comfort and mobility,” the union executive told members in a bulletin on Nov. 26 and obtained by The Canadian Press.

“At the same time, there was sentiment from WestJet leadership that, outside of longer flights, the configuration was generally acceptable.”

Von Hoensbroech had a more positive take on the trip.

“This is a popular seat pitch on many airlines in both Europe and North America, so the experience was familiar and I personally felt OK in this seat,” the CEO said in an emailed statement to The Canadian Press.

“However, I understand it is subjective and many people may feel different, we are actively listening to this feedback.”

The Calgary-based company announced in September it would reconfigure the seating on 43 Boeing 737 jets to install an extra row and divide the cabin into more tiers. So far, 21 planes furnish the compressed configuration.

A dozen of the 22 rows in the planes’ economy class feature 28-inch pitch — the distance between one point on a seat and the same point on the seat in front — versus 29- or 30-inch pitches on most other carriers’ lower-tier seats. They also have what WestJet calls a “fixed recline design,” meaning they cannot be tilted back.

Workers and passengers have pushed back, warning that the cramped cabin curtails safety, particularly in the event of an evacuation, and hurts the customer experience.

“WestJet pilots believe this reconfiguration erodes the guest experience and devalues our brand,” said Jacob Astin, who chairs the WestJet contingent of the Air Line Pilots Association, in an emailed statement.

He noted that Transport Canada had approved the change, but said it nonetheless “reduces the superior safety margins of previous layouts due to increased cramping.”

No other large Canadian airline has 28-inch pitch seats.

WestJet has stressed that the overhauled layout allows for more affordable fares. More spacious rows are also available at a higher price.

“Because safety is so important to us, it’s worth noting as part of the reconfiguration the aircraft underwent an extensive safety and certification process. All modifications were completed in accordance with Transport Canada’s rigorous airworthiness standards and WestJet’s own high internal safety requirements,” said WestJet spokeswoman Julia Kaiser in an email.

“We are closely monitoring guest and employee feedback to assess the product’s performance, comfort and suitability.”

For cabin crew, the more confined environment can make it harder to clean after a flight, carry out emergency procedures such as helping with oxygen masks and have a comfortable commute to or from an upcoming shift, according to the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

The changes, which the union was not consulted on, may also aggravate passengers already frustrated by the flying experience generally, said Hussain.

“We are the face, we’re on the front line of this change where passengers are finding out about it as they board,” she said in a phone interview.

“We don’t need to be in a race to offer the least.”

The narrower rows put some WestJet cabins on a par with budget carriers such as Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines and Wizz Air, all of which sport 28-inch seats.

“At what point do we just all stand and hold onto a rubber ring handle?” asked one TikTok commenter.

However, the new configuration also carves out more space for 36 “extended comfort” seats with 34-inch pitch and 12 premium seats with 38-inch pitch, both of which yield bigger profit margins.

In December, WestJet paused a move to install the controversial seats on a big slice of its fleet amid pushback, but also “to support our operations during the peak winter travel season,” said spokeswoman Julia Brunet in mid-December. “We plan to resume reconfiguring our all-economy aircraft in the spring.”

Consumer rights advocates said carriers must ensure that travellers can fit in their seats.

“If the airline is unable to do so, it would be a case of involuntary denial of boarding, and I would encourage passengers to hold WestJet accountable for such incidents as a breach of contract,” claimed Air Passenger Rights president Gabor Lukacs.

“There is also a question of being able to assume ‘brace’ position that is required in the case of an emergency landing,” he added.

“WestJet is testing Canadian passengers how far we can be pushed.”

Marie-Justine Torres, press secretary for Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon, said Transport Canada ensures that cabin reconfigurations comply with safety standards “and will take appropriate action if those standards are not met.”

Comfort, passenger experience and accessibility fall under the purview of the Canadian Transportation Agency, which sets the rules around “accessible and respectful” travel, she said in an email.

“We encourage passengers to raise their concerns with WestJet.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 9, 2026.

— With a file from David Baxter in Ottawa