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In late 2025, Transport Canada was alerted by a flight attendant to the risks of WestJet’s reconfigured planes, calling them a “hazard,” according to documents obtained by CBC News.
The five-page safety hazard report — written by the Calgary-based employee and uncovered through an Access to Information request — was submitted to the federal department weeks before a video taken on Dec. 26, 2025, went viral. The video showed an Alberta family’s experience with limited legroom and prompted questions about the safety and efficacy of the seat configuration.
On Jan. 16, WestJet announced it was reversing course on the seating layout.
However, the timing of when Transport Canada first became aware of the risk and its response raises questions about government action to address what is described as an “imminent safety risk.”
The report, dated Dec. 5, was sent to Transport Canada’s civil aviation branch.
In it, the flight attendant details an incident that occurred on Nov. 29 on a plane flying from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to Calgary.
The reconfigured plane had been converted to squeeze an extra row on board, leaving some passengers with less legroom.
A passenger sitting in the aisle seat, who was described as having a “large height and body structure (not obese related),” could not fit into the seat, causing his knees, legs and upper body to extend significantly into the row, the report states.
The cabin crew decided to move the passenger to a seat with more legroom, but he became “physically trapped” and “remained stuck in his seat,” unable to stand or exit the row on his own.
“I lifted the armrest to create additional clearance, and his daughter (seat 20B) assisted by pushing his legs to the side. Only then, was he able to stand by himself and exit the row,” the flight attendant wrote.
“He could not self-evacuate … due to the new pitch, legroom and lack of space,” wrote the employee, who said the issue was a direct result of lack of space due to the new seat configuration.
The crew member writes that, in the case of an emergency, this would endanger not only the passenger but those sitting in the middle and window seats, who would be trapped and unable to exit the row.
The flight attendant wrote that the safety hazard report was also submitted to WestJet and said that the intention was not to place the airline in a “difficult position” but to ensure the risk is addressed “under the guidance of Transport Canada.”
“I am intentionally using the term “imminent risk” because a real obstruction occurred and could (or would) occur again under similar conditions,” the report states.
