Both Air Canada and WestJet are ending spaced seating policies on July 1.
WestJet, which had been blocking middle seats on Boeing 737 and 787 aircraft since early April, said it was removing the policy based on guidance from the International Air Transport Association, which indicated that onboard air filtration, the barrier of seat backs and the direction of airflow on board was sufficient to prevent Covid-19 spread without seat distancing. Air Canada also is ending its policy of guaranteed vacant adjacent seats, though it is pairing that with a rebooking option, similar to measures taken by American Airlines and United Airlines. The carrier will notify travelers when flights are booked close to capacity prior to check-in, and travelers can change to another flight within three days without additional fees.
In addition, Air Canada has added a touch-free bag check service for all domestic flights from Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary and is expanding that to other airports. Later in July, the carrier is introducing "virtual queuing" at its primary airports in which agents scan travelers' boarding cards and notify them via their mobile device when they can go to the counter.
Air Canada plans to resume meal service later in July, and Maple Leaf Lounges also will begin reopening later this summer.