Today, Canadian low-fare carrier WestJet announced that it will introduce sleeper cabins onboard its existing fleet of 73 Boeing 737 Next-Generation aircraft. These sleeper cabins can be booked on all of WestJet’s existing flights for a nominal incremental fee of $12.

And where might these new sleeper cabins be located? You go it.

In the overhead bin area of each aircraft.

“WestJet now offers scheduled service to 47 destinations, continuing on our strategy to be Canada’s favourite airline,” commented Bob Cummings, Executive Vice-President Guest Experience and Marketing. “Our leather seats and live satellite television are a great part of WestJet’s guest experience however, by offering our existing overhead bins as sleeper cabins, guests will now have the opportunity to lie down for a period of time and arrive at their destination refreshed, rested and ready to go.

The overhead compartment has traditionally been a place where guests have placed their carry-on baggage. Given that the overhead bins on our fleet are among the most spacious of any airline, we made the decision to offer sleeper cabins in that space.”

To verify sleeper cabin availability on a WestJet flight, guests are encouraged to call WestJet at 1-866-935-2702 (English) or 1-866-935-2703 (French).

Nice to see that WestJet’s long tradition of April Fool’s Day pranks is alive and well.