Passengers are suing Delta and United for selling them window seats without windows

Yahoo

2 days ago

Class action lawsuits claim the airlines charged passengers premium prices for a product that they promised but didn't deliver.
Two of the nation's biggest carriers are facing major lawsuits after passengers say they were duped into paying extra for 'window' seats — only to find themselves staring at a blank wall.
Proposed class actions were filed Tuesday against United Airlines in San Francisco federal court and Delta Air Lines in Brooklyn federal court, with plaintiffs seeking millions in damages on behalf of more than a million fliers at each airline, according to Reuters. The complaints allege that some seats on Boeing 737s, Boeing 757s, and Airbus A321s look like window seats on the booking map but lack actual windows because of internal aircraft components like air conditioning ducts and electrical wiring.
Unlike rivals Alaska Airlines and American Airlines, the lawsuits claim Delta and United do not flag these seats during booking — even when charging tens or hundreds of dollars for them. For many travelers, the window isn't just about the view: Passengers cite reasons like easing motion sickness, calming fears of flying, entertaining children, or simply enjoying daylight during the flight.
'Had plaintiffs and the class members known that the seats they were purchasing [were] windowless, they would not have selected them — much less have paid extra,' the United complaint stated.
The suits also highlight how airlines increasingly rely on revenue from seat selection fees, baggage charges, upgrades, and other add-ons to boost profits while keeping base fares lower.
One plaintiff, Aviva Copaken of Los Angeles, said United refunded her for two flights with windowless seats — but denied her request on a third. Meanwhile, consumer advocates note that while websites like SeatGuru can help identify tricky seats, airlines themselves have the responsibility to disclose the truth.
As lawyer Carter Greenbaum, who filed the lawsuits, put it: 'A company can't misrepresent the nature of the products it sells and then rely on third-party reviews to say a customer should have known that it was lying.'
Delta, based in Atlanta, and United, based in Chicago, have not yet publicly commented on the cases.
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