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fromwww.businessinsider.com
1 week ago2 startling ways designers are trying to create premium perks in economy class
Airline seat makers are innovating to enhance economy class comfort with designs like SkyNook and Comfort Class.
WestJet is cancelling a new seat configuration that squeezed an extra row on board many of its planes and left passengers with less legroom. In a message to staff obtained by The Canadian Press, the airline's vice-president of inflight operations says executives made the costly decision to return the cabins to their previous layout following feedback from employees and customers amid a major backlash to the tighter arrangement.
Writing at The New York Times, Nia Decaille reported that the airline plans to change its policy for what it describes as "customers of size" beginning in January of 2026. The airline's website reveals that the new policy is going into effect on January 27, 2026, and will affect how the airline handles refunding additional seat purchases once a traveler's itinerary is complete.For travelers traveling both before and after January 27, 2026, Southwest's advice is the same: "Customers who encroach upon the neighboring seat(s) should proactively purchase the needed number of seats prior to travel to ensure the additional, adjacent seat is available."