Passengers flying WestJet will have to pay to lean back during their flight.
The airline is removing reclining seats in standard economy on its Boeing 737-8 MAX and 737-800 planes and will have passengers pay extra for the perk of relaxing, USA Today reported.
If you want to recline, you will have to buy a seat in the Premium cabins and Extended Comfort seats in the economy section. The airline had offered only economy seats in the past.
There will be 36 reclining seats available in the Extended Comfort areas that also boast extra legroom.
The 12 new premium seats will have “ergonomically contoured seat cushions, reclining seat backs and a large headrest with four-way adjustment capability,” the CBC reported.
The non-reclining seats will have “adjustable headrests and enhanced cushion and back support,” plus power outlets and phone or tablet holders.
A divider will separate the premium and extended comfort areas from the rest of the plane, according to the CBC.
The first of the 43 reconfigured planes is expected to enter service this month, with the rest being changed by the end of the year.
WestJet said the change is being done to “preserve personal space.”
The airline said in a statement, “Through our guest user testing, half indicated they preferred a fixed recline, to avoid feeling impacted by other passengers encroaching upon their space.”
The company said that it will lower the price per seat on the newly reconfigured flights because the “ultra slim-line seats” will allow for another row of seating on the aircraft, USA Today reported.
The change was first announced last month and accounts for less than a third of WestJet’s narrowbody fleet, ABC News reported.
Canadian-based WestJet flies to 19 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., and internationally to Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and Mexico.
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