Brace for turbulence.
United Airlines must face a class-action lawsuit after a federal judge rejected the airline’s attempt to dismiss claims from passengers who say they paid extra for “window seats” that had no actual windows.
The lawsuit, which also names Delta Air Lines, alleges the airlines misled customers by failing to disclose during booking that some window seats on Boeing 737s, 757s and Airbus A321s are located beside blank cabin walls instead of windows. Judge James Donato in San Francisco rejected Chicago-based United’s argument that “window seat” refers only to a seat’s position, not a guaranteed outside view.
Donato rejected United’s argument that federal law blocked the passengers’ claims, saying the airline’s own ticketing terms, boarding passes and reservation screens promised window seats to customers who paid for them.
United declined to comment on the suit when contacted by The Independent, but did say: “As part of our regular review of united.com and the United App to enhance the customer experience, in 2025 we added more detail to our seat selection process, so customers can have more information about what to expect when they choose a seat.
A Delta spokesperson said the airline declines to comment on pending litigation.
The passengers filed proposed class-action lawsuits in August, suing United Airlines in federal court in San Francisco and Delta Air Lines in federal court in Brooklyn, New York.
Delta is also working to get the pending lawsuit dismissed.
In November, attorney Carter Greenbaum, at the time representing plaintiffs against United and Delta, told Reuters that United’s position was “contrary to the reasonable expectations of countless passengers who unknowingly paid extra money for windowless window seats. Consumers deserve better than empty promises and United’s word games.”
United argued in court documents at the time that it never promised “window” seats would come with an outside view, despite identifying them as window seats on booking screens and boarding passes.
“The word ‘window’ identifies the position of the seat—i.e., next to the wall of the main body of the aircraft,” United said, according to Reuters. “The use of the word ‘window’ in reference to a particular seat cannot reasonably be interpreted as a promise that the seat will have an exterior window view.”
The lawsuits seek millions in damages on behalf of more than 1 million passengers, with plaintiffs citing reasons such as reducing anxiety, easing motion sickness and enjoying views.
