WestJet reversed its plan to add extra seats to its planes after the idea didn't fly with many passengers. Ali Bauman has the story.

WestJet, Canada's second largest airline and a partner of Delta Airlines, has decided to cancel its plan to add more seats to its planes after receiving significant negative feedback from passengers. The change, which involved adding an extra row and reducing legroom by about two inches on nearly two dozen aircraft, was initially intended to lower ticket prices.

The decision followed viral social media posts showing cramped seating and widespread criticism regarding passenger comfort and safety. WestJet's CEO stated the airline will remove the added seats, though no timeline has been provided for the reconfiguration. There are currently no US regulations governing minimum seat size or spacing on airplanes.

WestJet cancels plan to add more seats to its planes

A reversal from a major North American airline. WestJet is now canceling its new seat layout on its aircraft. CBS's Allie Bauman joins us from New York, and it appears, Allie, a lot of these passengers were not feeling this at all. That's right, Jerica. WestJet, a partner of Delta Airlines, says it added seats to ease ticket prices. Instead, it's fueling passenger frustration. Dad, can you just straighten out your legs there? This video of a couple crammed into the seats of their WestJet flight took off on social media, with over a million views since their daughter posted it three weeks ago. If they're selling a seat for a human, it should fit a human. It's inhumane, basically, to make people travel like this. WestJet, Canada's second largest carrier, says it added an extra row of seats to nearly two dozen aircraft since October, claiming it would help bring down ticket prices. The reconfiguration removed about two inches of space between rows. How can you sit like that for a big, long-haul flight? Now, in an about-face, WestJet will remove those added seats, its CEO saying, 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. Former National Transportation Safety Board chair, Robert Sumwalt. The low-cost carriers are actually trying to cram as many people in an airplane as they possibly can. Spirit Airlines has long had seats that don't recline, and Frontier advertises its seats as pre-reclined. Can having an airplane seat that tight be dangerous in an emergency? It certainly stands to reason that if you decrease the amount of space between the seats, it's going to make it more difficult to someone to get out in the event of an emergency. WestJet does not have a timeline for when the work will be completed. Jerica, there are no requirements in the US for airplane seat size or for space between seats. Ali Bauman, Force, in New York, thank you.

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Minneapolis

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Tehran

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Nuuk

Greenland Stand-Off

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Copenhagen

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Global Tariffs

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Kampala

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Brussels

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Washington

Venezuela Strikes

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Cape Canaveral

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Seoul

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Tel Aviv-Yafo

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Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

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Kyiv

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California

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Sikhio District

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Breakdown