Charging for reclining seats

what will they think of next to charge us for?

The loo ?

I mean the way I read it, it's not that they're charging for recline. It's that coach seats will not be able to recline and Westjet is then adding a couple levels of premium seats that will include the ability to recline as one of the several features. I know that the headline "Airline to Charge for Reclining Seats" gets the outrage and generates the clicks, but there's nuance and I'm not feeling the outrage.

Ugh. Yet another reason to dislike WestJet. Unfortunately, they are the main airline serving my area. :(

Get rid of reclining seats altogether if they encroach on the space of the person behind. BA have done this for their short haul aircraft even in business class (I'm sure others have as well) and it makes flying more tolerable.

Ha! My next thought, Joe!

JC, there have been dozens of posts over the years in which those who use the recline feature are raked over the coals; now we are going to rake the airlines over the coals for not providing the opportunity. Sounds like a no win situation. I fly Ryan and Wizz from time to time, no reclining seats. I cant say I really notice. On the long hauls I am among the evil and put it back. BUT, if I could save 5% on the ticket with no reclining seats .... I would save the 5%.

Fully in favour of non-reclining seats for all sorts of reasons but mainly because I have suffered through long haul flights with the seat in front of me reclined to its fullest extent and not been able to read comfortably, use the tray table and easily get out of the seat when necessary. I do not ever recline my seat so this will not affect me personally.

I have to agree, this is a non-issue for me. On short hauls, I don't need recline, and on long hauls, it's not enough to make any difference.

I am all for this. My last 3 trips to Europe, I had the seat in front of me in my lap. This last trip the man was downright violent when going back. And for some reason, he would go all the way up and come back hard (one time he did it while I was looking for something in my pack that was under his seat. He almost knocked me out.) I didn't take it personally, because when the plane landed he grabbed his bag and tried to rush to the front of the plane.

I was listening on talk radio after this was announced in September and there were as many people praising the move as complaining. Those for the move said they'd appreciate the option of sitting in a zone where the person in front can't recline.

WestJet is in a no-win situation when it comes to public opinion. People will find reasons to complain whether it be because people are reclining, or as other callers on the talk radio program stated, that they no longer had the 'freedom' to recline. That's just not true, unlike what the article stated in its opening sentence, WestJet is not a budget carrier. Their 787's have everything from lie-down seats to ultra basic.

For me there's before the accident (BA), then after the accident (AA).

BA sitting in economy, I just didn't recline my seat. Seat pitch is such that if I reclined I was intruding into someone else's limited space, and I'm just not going to do that to someone else. In turn I really disliked when the passenger in front of me reclined, but I wasn't going to get upset, they had every right to recline if the airline offered a reclining seat. I'd only ever ask them to sit up when the meal was served.

AA I don't like to recline. I'm most comfortable with the seat up so I don't get misaligned and I can still keep my left heel on the floor. It is also obviously much less of an issue in a premium and/or bulkhead seat.

As someone else pointed out the airline is just in a no win situation - someone will complain no matter what. I'm okay if an airline's seats by default do not recline and if it is so important to you, buy up to the seats that do.

As someone else pointed out the airline is just in a no win situation - someone will complain no matter what.
(VAP)

Reminds me of a Jay Leno Tonight show monologue/musing. This happened back when airlines started cutting back on meal service.

"People were always complaining about how bad the food was; now they are complaining the airline isn't serving it. What is with people?"

I heard they may start charging extra for indoor seats vs. outdoor seats. But I think the outdoor seats do recline.

I’m fine with this. I rarely recline and never much. I think reclining can be very inconsiderate to the person behind you.

Wow, some of the responses are pretty judgey.

Everybody's physique is different. If some people are more comfortable not reclining, lucky them. I'm definitely more comfortable reclining a little bit (on short-haul flights) and a bit more (on long-haul flights). Sitting bolt upright is hard on my back and my neck, especially as I'm short (especially when sitting--long legs/short torso), and my head doesn't reach properly into those foldy things on the headrest. My neck gets stiff and sore after a while, as does the rest of me, if I have no ability to change position a little during the flight. Plus, on flights over 3 hours, I'd like to sleep.

For those who have never flown WestJet (which I suspect is most of you, since it's a Canadian airline, with a focus on Western Canada), the seat width is already on the low end---and it's NOT a budget airline. (I also find their seats harder than most.) https://www.tcf-fca.ca/air-canada-westjet-or-porter-which-airline-offers/ Their legroom has, at least, been decent before this, but their reasoning for cutting out the recline is to reduce the legroom, so even that will be lost now.

I don't think it's unreasonable to wish for a modicum of comfort, and not everyone has endless $$$ to spring for better seats. If I WANTED to fly a budget airline in Canada, I would do so. I do it in Europe regularly. But distances are a lot greater in Canada than in Europe, and flights are, therefore, longer, so being able to recline matters more.

Wow, some of the responses are pretty judgey

Yeah. I'm just not seeing the judgey responses.

I think most responses are along the lines of not sharing an emotional outrage, and they're okay with it. One can read my opinion in my previous posts.

For those who have never flown WestJet (which I suspect is most of you, since it's a Canadian airline, with a focus on Western Canada), the seat width is already on the low end---and it's NOT a budget airline.

You're right I've never flown Westjet probably never will. But its not hard to note that the seat pitch, seat width, and recline (ehem 2 inches) measurements the same on United's, AA's and Westjet's 737-800. Seems fairly standard.

I don't think it's unreasonable to wish for a modicum of comfort,

You're absolutely right it is not at all unreasonable to expect a minimum level of comfort. Comfort is also subjective and not the same for everyone. At some point airlines have got to make some sort of decision, its not going to cover every single person.

...and not everyone has endless $$$ to spring for better seats.

Damn I'd love to be able to go back to buying economy tickets. It's not a matter of having endless dollars, we've all got our burdens to bear and somethings get priority.