'Give us $600 and also we hate you': WestJet's new UltraBasic fare gets roasted online

If there's anything people can agree on these days, it's that flying sucks.

And between the delays and cancellations, extreme turbulence, and jets literally falling apart in the sky, it seems that some people have had about enough of flying experiences getting ostensibly worse instead of better.

Which may partially explain the online roasting of WestJet's new UltraBasic fare, where you can board the plane and that's about it.

Announced Tuesday, the new "no-frills fare option" doesn't permit carry-on baggage (unless you're flying overseas), has pre-assigned seats at the back of the plane, and those who select the fare will be the last to board the plane. They also can't collect WestJet Rewards.

Even then, an UltraBasic round trip from Toronto to Calgary at the end of June costs about $650.

"UltraBasic has been designed to both expedite the boarding process and provide our most competitive pricing," a WestJet spokesperson told CBC News in an email on Tuesday.

The online roasting was immediate, with satirical news site The Beaverton mocking the company with an article describing a fare where passengers just stay home and give them money, and people on social media describing the new fare as "give us $600 and also we hate you," and "seat only, shut up."

The Beaverton article was trending on Reddit's r/Canada community this week, with commenters offering their own shoe-string ideas that airlines may use to try to entice passengers and stoke competition in Canada's airline industry. These include extra money for oxygen and discounts for pushing the plane yourself.

"For $99, WestJet will print you MapQuest walking directions to your intended destination," one person wrote in the comments.

On Friday, content producer Stewart Reynolds (a.k.a. Brittlestar) posted his own response on X in a video where he mockingly posed as a WestJet employee.

"A change of clothes is a luxury now," he said in the video, then adding "your seat will be pre-assigned in the back of the aircraft, at the stinkiest, least comfortable spot we can think of, just for fun."

"WestJet rewards," he went on. "Reward for what? Being poor? Get out of here."

The morning after WestJet's announcement, Air Canada made one of its own that went down much better: free booze.

"Cheers to summer! We're giving our Economy Class experience an upgrade with free beer, wine and premium snacks on flights within Canada and the U.S.," the airline wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday.