Class-action lawsuits were filed on Aug. 19 against United Airlines and Delta Airlines, claiming that the companies charged passengers premium fees for window seats that were located next to a “blank wall.”
In a case filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, plaintiffs accused United of knowingly selling windowless seats to passengers who paid extra to ensure a window seat.
The complaint alleges that United charges an extra $50 for a basic economy window seat on domestic flights and an extra $100 or more for a window seat for international flights.
The lawsuit names certain United aircraft models that do not include windows for at least one “window” seat, because of the placement of air-conditioning ducts, electrical conduits, or other interior components. It also claims that United continues to describe every wall-adjacent seat as having a window.
According to the complaint, United has been engaging in the alleged “misleading” practice for many years. The lawsuit refers to a 2017 instance where a customer purchased what was a “windowless” window seat, and United allegedly responded by stating that it never guaranteed a window seat.
“United’s deceptive conduct is unlawful and amounts to a breach [of] its contracts with affected passengers,” the filing reads.
The lawsuit also includes several examples of written complaints as well as social media posts from disgruntled passengers who say they paid extra fees for a window seat, only to be faced with a wall instead.
In addition to enjoying views, the document states, many people have a fear of flying or motion sickness, and windows often help to alleviate those problems.
In a statement to The Epoch Times, United Airlines declined to comment on the lawsuit, saying, “This is an ongoing legal matter.”
The lawsuit against Delta was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on the same day. Plaintiffs in the case have nearly identical accusations, alleging that Delta collected extra fees for seats that were supposedly “window” seats but were actually “windowless.”
“By offering and charging extra for ‘window’ seats that were windowless, Delta unlawfully caused Plaintiff and the putative class members to expend consideration for no value,” the complaint against Delta reads. “They are entitled to compensatory damages and exemplary damages for Delta’s intentional misconduct.”
As with the United lawsuit, the Delta litigation also includes various written examples and social media posts from consumers who say they paid extra fees and were duped into believing that they were receiving a window seat, which was actually a seat next to a wall.
The lawsuit notes that a typical basic economy flyer with Delta may spend more than $40 to upgrade to a higher ticket tier, plus an additional $30 to select a particular window seat.
“In its marketing materials and customer communications more broadly, Delta appears to exclusively refer to its seat options as ‘window,’ ‘middle,’ and ‘aisle,’ without caveating for the presence of windowless seats,” the lawsuit reads.
Like United, Delta is accused of misrepresenting window seats in its seat maps shown on both its website and mobile app.
The Epoch Times reached out to Delta Airlines for comment, but did not receive a response by publication time.
United, Delta, and American Airlines are known as the “Big Three” legacy U.S. airlines. United operates more than 800 aircraft serving hundreds of destinations across six continents. It offers almost 4,500 daily flights, transporting millions of passengers each year.
Delta operates almost 1,000 owned or leased aircraft to fly travelers between hundreds of destinations across the world. In 2024, Delta provided transportation services to more than 200 million travelers.
