WestJet

Passengers on one budget airline might be subjected to even more fees when it comes to their seat selection, but there is one particular way to try and get around it

A budget airline has introduced a new fee for passengers who want to be able to recline their seat on their journey – and some aviation experts are unimpressed with the introduction of the new cost.

When it comes to booking a flight, the original price you see listed is often for the most basic option – and for a lot of airlines, even booking a specific seat to be with your friends or family will mean your wallet takes a hit.

From baggage costs to seat selection, it can seem like almost everything you might need on a flight will end up costing you even more – which can be a serious pain when most people are operating on pretty tight budgets.

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One more budget airline has decided to join the ranks of the businesses determined to eke as much out of their customers as possible, and will now be charging their customers to have a seat that reclines, redesigning their cabins with rows of fixed seats on some of their planes to fit in an extra row.

To avoid the extra cost, you’ll need to book one of the fixed seats in the Economy cabin.

The major Canadian airline, WestJet, will not have the vast majority of its Economy seats fixed upright, with passengers given the opportunity instead to pay more for a seat in the Premium cabin. The 12 seats in Premium will be ergonomically designed, have four options to adjust the headrest, and will recline.

Behind Premium will be 36 ‘Extended Comfort’ seats, part of the Economy option, which don’t recline, but do offer a bit more legroom for passengers.

“The cabin has been thoughtfully designed to offer WestJet’s welcoming service at every budget,” the Executive Vice-President and Chief Experience Officer of WestJet – Samantha Taylor – said in a statement, per news.com.au.

“It reflects our commitment to elevating every aspect of the travel experience and meeting guest demand for a broader range of product offerings,” the exec continued.

However, the experts are not necessarily impressed with the argument that the change is about creating more choice for consumers, or that by fitting in an extra row, prices will actually come down that much for passengers using the airline.

“The imagination of airline marketers never stops to astound me: the depths they will go through kind of gives people an impression that if I pay more, I get more,” John Gradek, an aviation lecturer at McGill University, fumed.

The airline passenger rights expert added: “Right now, it’s like you pay more to get what you had.”

WestJet is by no means the first airline to remove the option of reclining seats – Ryanair did so all the way back in 2004, and many other budget airlines operate similarly.

Even more premium airlines like British Airways, American Airlines, and Delta have reduced the number of reclining seats on offer, with BA removing them entirely on short-haul aircraft.

From low-slung jeans to loud singing and even 10kg boobs, passengers have been kicked off flights for the most bizarre reasons. Here are some of the wildest stories from the skies

Flying can test everyone’s patience, but sometimes the reasons people get booted off flights just don’t make sense. One particular flying tale probably takes the cake.

A model claimed that her 10kg breasts got her kicked off a flight. Mary Magdalene, 25, says she was removed from a plane because of her “explicit” look wearing leggings and a sports bra, but the airline claimed it was because she hadn’t listened to instructions while wearing headphones.

The model, who’s had over £120,000 worth of cosmetic surgery, including breast enhancements, hit back on Instagram, saying: “I was kicked off the flight for how I look… Obviously, [my outfit] is why she kicked me off because I look too explicit. But that’s not legal, so she had to say it’s because I was sleeping and wouldn’t hear her.”

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Mary added that smaller-chested women wouldn’t face the same treatment, calling the incident “discrimination,” adding: “It’s not right to pick and choose who the rules apply to based on appearance/body type.”

From giant boobs to baggy jeans, and mid-air singalongs to notes in Arabic, here are some of the most ridiculous stories of travellers getting kicked off planes.

Billie Joe Armstrong kicked off for wearing low trousers

Not even rock stars are safe. Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong was banned from a Southwest Airlines flight in 2011 for wearing his trousers too low. When told to pull them up, the singer reportedly quipped, “Don’t you have better things to do?” He was promptly escorted off and later tweeted, “Just got kicked off a Southwest flight because my pants sagged too low!” The airline later apologised and offered a new booking.

Alec Baldwin ejected for playing Words With Friends

Actor Alec Baldwin was famously removed from an American Airlines flight after refusing to stop playing the smartphone game Words With Friends during take-off preparations.

Baldwin vented on Twitter: “Flight attendant on American [Airlines] reamed me out 4 playing WORDS W FRIENDS while we sat at the gate, not moving.” His spokesperson added: “He loves WWF so much that he was willing to leave the plane for it.”

Maybe he should have switched his phone off, but regardless, it’s ridiculous all around.

Passenger steals megaphone mid-flight

During a WestJet flight from Toronto to Saskatoon, police were called after a cabin megaphone mysteriously disappeared. It turned out passenger Jake Michael Piasentini, 29, had stolen it, reportedly influenced by alcohol. The theft delayed the flight, and Jake faced a CAD $5,000 fine.

‘Queen of the aeroplane’ comment gets mum removed

American traveller Nicki Gazley was removed from a Frontier Airlines flight after sarcastically calling a flight attendant “the Queen of this aeroplane” during a disagreement over her baby carrier.

Despite complying with requests to remove her son from an Ergo Baby Carrier, the flight attendant took offence and booted Nicki. Frontier Airlines stated that the FAA does not approve Ergo carriers for takeoff or landing.

Tweet about ‘drunk pilot’ leads to ban

Lisa Carter Knight was banned from a JetBlue flight after tweeting photos and comments suggesting the pilot was undergoing a sobriety test following a passenger’s ill-judged joke about a “drunk pilot.”

Though the pilot passed the test, Lisa says she was still not allowed to board. JetBlue denied it was due to the tweets, explaining that passengers exhibiting disruptive behaviour can be removed.

Whitney Houston fan forces emergency landing

A passenger belting out Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You aboard a Los Angeles to New York flight was so disruptive that the pilot diverted to Kansas City to remove her mid-performance.

Man kicked off flight for bad body odour

A 27-year-old French passenger flying from Paris to Dallas was removed after the crew complained about his smell. Despite dousing himself in Dior perfume, the crew said his stench was too much.

Police were called, and the passenger filed a complaint. American Airlines denied the odour claims, citing an issue with his US visa.

‘Merry Christmas?’ Not for this passenger

A man travelling from Dallas to New York on American Airlines went into a rage after being wished “Merry Christmas” at the gate and again on board.

After reprimanding staff for the greeting, he reportedly caused a scene and was removed, much to the relief and cheers of fellow passengers.

Confused economist mistaken for a threat

Most recently, Guido Menzio boarded a flight from Philadelphia to Syracuse only to be asked to leave after a passenger reported him for writing notes in what she thought was Arabic and found “threatening.”

Police kept the flight grounded for two hours before realising Guido was an Ivy League economist jotting down math equations for a talk.

Teen removed after coughing fit delays flight

On a Continental Airlines flight from Newark to Honolulu, a 16-year-old on a school trip was asked to leave after waking up with a coughing fit before takeoff. Although given water and cleared by the onboard doctor, the pilot refused to allow her and her teacher to fly. They had to find overnight accommodation and buy clothes and toiletries.

Flying can be a rollercoaster ride, and it’s always best to follow instructions and safety guidelines too. But as these wild tales show, sometimes even that’s not enough to keep you in your seat. Whether it’s baggy jeans or belting out a power ballad, you never quite know what might get you grounded.

So, next time you board a flight, maybe leave the megaphone at home and smile extra brightly at the flight attendants.