REGINA — WestJet’s decision to reverse course on a controversial seating change announced Friday is being met with skepticism from at least one Regina resident who says the move doesn’t go far enough.
On Jan. 8, Lindsay Noble and her husband were travelling back from Cancun to Regina. Noble’s husband's knees were jamming into the seat in front of him, prompting Noble to express safety concerns.
“I told him that it is not safe for you. If we hit turbulence, you could crack a knee, you could damage yourself,’ she said in an interview soon after they landed in Regina.
WestJet adjusted around two dozen planes to add an extra row of seating (six total) to ensure ticket prices remained affordable. The adjustment saw seats in economy reduced to 28 inches of space.
The backlash from many WestJet customers led the airline to reconsider the move and announce on Friday a return to the prior standard seat pitch for economy cabins on the reconfigured planes.
Reacting to the news, Noble called it good but described it as "hard to get the bad taste out of your mouth.”
“The question is, what are they going to do to bring back the customer's confidence in them? Because I still am extremely worried about using WestJet at this point,” said Noble.
Noble said she has no intention of flying with WestJet again until there is a public apology to customers.
“You should actually stop and just admit you messed up and say, you were right, we were wrong.”
During her flight, Noble was told by a flight attendant to inform the airline of her story.
In the following two weeks, Noble said, she hasn’t received any reply.
“There is a lack of communication with people who complained,” she said.
“I fully intend on still getting rid of my card with WestJet because I can't see myself trusting them at this point,” she added.
WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said the entire reinstallation for roughly 20 planes will likely be finished by year’s end, according to a recent article by the Canadian Press.
