The Underrated Canadian Airline With Budget-Friendly Prices And Comfortable Seating

As long as teleportation remains a pipe dream, people will find something to complain about airlines. Whether you're dropping serious cash on a full-service carrier or scraping by on a budget airline, there's always the risk of headaches, like getting booted from an overbooked flight or begging for refunds on delayed or canceled trips. Budget airlines, however, often dial these annoyances up to 11, but every once in a while, a low-cost carrier pulls off the impossible: actually delivering a decent experience. In Canada, WestJet is often praised by penny-wise travelers for delivering budget fares without sacrificing decent seating or service.

Now, let's give credit where it's due: Some low-cost carriers have significantly upped their game, at times even outshining their full-service rivals. In WestJet's case, it has somehow built a reputation for convenience in an industry where that's a rarity. In 2024, the airline rolled out its UltraBasic fare, designed for travelers who only care about getting from A to B without going broke. The trade-offs? You'll board last and get a seat at the very back — but that's supposedly the safest spot on a plane anyway. You're also restricted to just one small personal item, and you won't be able to make changes after booking or earn any rewards points. Extras like checked baggage, seat selection, or upgrading to roomier Extended Comfort seats are available but for an additional fee, of course. But hey, with a reasonable 30 inches of legroom in economy, WestJet proves budget doesn't have to mean torture. And that's just scratching the surface.

To put WestJet's budget-friendly fares into perspective, a flight from Calgary to Toronto on its bare-bones UltraBasic fare can cost just $172, as of this writing. Meanwhile, the next step up — the so-called budget Econo fare — jumps to $566. Of course, prices fluctuate depending on the day and time, but if you're willing to sacrifice a few comforts, you can save a solid chunk of cash.

But WestJet isn't just about affordability. In 2025, the airline finally loosened up its notoriously strict carry-on size rules, bringing it in line with North American carriers like Delta, so there's no more gate-side guessing games over whether your bag needs to be checked. In the same year, WestJet also gave its rewards program a much-needed glow-up. Moving forward, members rack up points not just on base fares but also on those inevitable extras, including seat selection, checked bags, and even upgrading to a higher-tier cabin. It even threw carrier surcharges and vacation packages in the mix, making free flights more attainable.

Even without these upgrades, however, WestJet has already earned a decent reputation among budget travelers. Sure, the airline gets its fair share of side-eye, but it's arguably one of the most underrated options out there. "I have flown with WestJet exclusively over tue [sic] last 20years ... Never had I had any major issues with them," u/Ok_Respond1083 on Reddit said, while a first-timer named u/adrianfnav, who was initially skeptical of the carrier, ended up having the surprise of their life: "The flight was pleasantly good; the airplane was clean, had good selection of movies, enough leg room, the food was tasty ... and all the crew were very nice and attentive." WestJet isn't perfect, but for a budget airline, it's surprisingly not so terrible.