October 22, 2009
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WestJet To Block Out Middle Seats on New Canada-Hawaii Routes

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By: Phil Derner Jr.
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(Photo by Matthew Smith)
(Photo by Matthew Smith)
In a move that bothoffers added comfort to passengers at a premium while extending the range of their 737s, WestJet Airlines will leave the middle seats empty in the first 8-10 rows on certain flights.

(Photo by Matthew Smith)

(Photo by Matthew Smith)

The trial will take place on their new Calgary-Maui and Edmonton-Honolulu routes set to begin in early March, when passengers will be able to “upgrade” to this area and not have to worry about bumping elbows or armrest-gut-spillage from their neighbor for as little as $20 extra.

Cutting out the middle man also reduces aircraft weight, which is the only way WestJet’s 136-seat Boeing 737-700 aircraft will have the range for these routes. These over-water operations would more commonly be reserved for larger aircraft types. Air Canada, for example, will use a 767-300 when they begin their own Calgary-Hawaii service in December.

These new routes will only run for two months from the first week of March until May 1st, at which point WestJet transitions to a summer schedule.

In addition to having more room for yourself, not having a middle seat means that creepy guys can film your feet and post it on YouTube for internet perverts to enjoy….(VIDEO)