Flyer boycotting Air Canada after ‘unbearable' experience with non-reclining seats
A passenger with a medical condition says he plans on boycotting Air Canada after an “unbearable” experience on a flight with non-reclining seats.
On Aug. 11, J. Hughes* hopped on a two-and-a-half-hour flight from Winnipeg to Toronto with Air Canada.
He told Daily Hive over the phone that he bought the ticket using Aeroplan points and paid full fare, only to realize that the Boeing 737-8 plane he was on had non-reclining seats.
“I freaked out. I asked [the flight attendants], ‘Are all the seats fixed?’ They’re like, ‘Yep, these are the ones from Lynx. We don’t like them, but it is what it is,'” he recalled.
He didn’t take a photo of the seats, but said that they looked the same as pictures another flyer shared on Facebook in a recent story Daily Hive wrote about Air Canada’s non-reclining seats.
Non-reclining seats on Kats’ Air Canada flight to Cozumel, Mexico (Alexander Kats/Facebook)
The reason why Hughes was distressed is that he suffers from degenerative disc disease in the thoracic area, or the middle of his back, between his shoulders. The medical condition occurs when the spinal disks begin to wear down, which can lead to severe neck and back pain.
“I can’t sit in those kinds of seats for any length of time because it’s bending my upper torso forward, and then it just hinges on the nerves between my shoulders,” he explained. “It becomes unbearable… It’s like telling you to hang over your trunk for an extended period of time.”
Thankfully, Hughes’ flight wasn’t full, and he was able to go to an empty row and raise the armrest so he could lie down. But the experience ultimately left him unhappy with Air Canada, prompting him to write an email to the airline.
“Regrettably, soon to become an ex-Air Canada customer”
Bendix M/Shutterstock
Hughes shared the email, with the subject line “the worst Air Canada flight ever,” with Daily Hive.
In it, he notes that he’s been a loyal customer for five decades with an Aeroplan profile that specifically outlined his requirement for lower back support (a reclining seat), which the recent flight did not accommodate.
He told Daily Hive that this note disappeared after Air Canada merged with Aeroplan. Hughes said the airline reached out to him recently after Daily Hive inquired about his situation, and said the profile information was likely lost in the merge, and that there’s no option for customers to change these preferences at this time.
In the email to the carrier from Aug. 14, the passenger stressed how disappointed he was with the lack of transparency about the non-reclining seats.
“You might think I’m just complaining, but with degenerative disc disease in my thoracic area, lower back support is necessary or excruciating pain will develop, and prolonged agony will persist,” wrote Hughes. “I find it hard to believe that I would be forced into a seat and on a plane that has no appreciation for comfort, with no forewarning.”
The customer told Daily Hive that the carrier does not disclose plane details throughout the process of buying a ticket on the site. He said the details are only made available after the purchase.
“There’s no disclosure, and there’s no accountability or price change as a result of it; it’s not correlated at all. You pay full fare and get a lesser seat,” he told Daily Hive.
In his email to the airline, Hughes added that one flight attendant argued that it was his fault for not determining the conditions ahead of the flight.
“I certainly won’t ever get on one of those planes again. I really wonder who’s making the decisions to save a few bucks and hoodwink customers unexpectedly,” he wrote.
He reiterated this decision to Daily Hive and said he plans on boycotting Air Canada. Hughes also noted that he only heard back from Air Canada after Daily Hive inquired about his situation.
Air Canada’s response
Air Canada
In an email statement to Daily Hive, the airline shared a link to descriptions of each of its aircraft in its fleet. The spokesperson said Hughes was the Boeing 737-8, Layout 2, which does specify seats with “no recline.”
“These aircraft were put into service immediately to provide the reliable capacity required to serve select leisure destinations,” stated the spokesperson.
However, Hughes questions whether these aircrafts are really only used for leisure flights, as his was a domestic, regular flight.
“Our pricing does not vary depending on the aircraft, but we’re sorry to hear about our customer’s dissatisfaction with his experience, and we will follow up with him,” the spokesperson added.
Hughes told Daily Hive that he received a call from Air Canada on Monday evening. The airline claimed that they responded to the original email he sent them, and the carrier forwarded copies of its response to him this week.
Hughes shared the alleged response he got from the carrier on Aug. 28 with Daily Hive. Air Canada had offered him a 25 per cent promo code for his next booking and promised to do an internal review.
However, after searching through his inbox, trash, and archives, Hughes told Daily Hive that he could not find these emails from the airline.
“Strangely enough, not only did I not ever see that, but I cannot find it in my records, so I don’t think it was really sent to me or that it was received,” he said.
The only response he found from the carrier in his inbox was a confirmation that his complaint was received.
J. Hughes
Air Passenger Rights in this scenario
However, he noted that passengers do have a legal right to a seat that they can fit into reasonably and a seat that matches what has been advertised or reasonably expected in the circumstances.
“The issue, as I see here, is the lack of transparency — adequate disclosure — by the airline,” Lukacs explained. “The passenger might be able to sue for breach of contract if they can show that the airline failed to disclose details about the amenities/seats on board.”
Hughes told Daily Hive that he’s not looking for any compensation, but wants to raise awareness for anyone else who may have a similar condition as he does.
“It’s buyer beware, and I don’t want to stick with them if this is going to be a potential result,” he said. “There’s no disclosure, and it’s unfair to everybody, including me. I went through this, and it was not an enjoyable experience to say the least.”
rchat/Shutterstock
Earlier this month, Air Canada announced major upgrades coming to its aircraft cabins in 2026. The carrier’s fleet of Boeing 737 MAX 8 will transition to Air Canada Rouge. Cabins will also get a refresh with 147 standard economy seats, 18 preferred extra legroom economy seats, and 12 business class seats. All of the seats will be reclining and will also include entertainment screens and free Wi-Fi for Aeroplan members.
The Air Canada spokesperson said they’re in the process of retrofitting the aircraft that Hughes flew on with the new cabin design, “which includes reclining seats for all customers, personal IFE screens for passengers, and more.”
Have you recently had a frustrating experience with a Canadian airline? Share your story with us at trending@dailyhive.com.
*A pseudonym was used.