CALITODAY (August 21, 2025) – United Airlines and Delta Air Lines were hit with class-action lawsuits on Tuesday, alleging that the carriers charged passengers extra for "window seats" that were actually next to a solid wall.
The law firm Greenbaum Olbrantz filed the complaints in federal courts in San Francisco and Brooklyn, New York, on behalf of passengers who claim they would not have paid an additional fee had they known their seats lacked a window.
"The vast majority of airline passengers prefer window seats, and they are willing to pay more for them," each lawsuit states. "For many, looking out the window at 30,000 feet, or watching the aircraft land at LaGuardia, is a quintessential part of the experience of flying."
The filings also note that a window can help keep restless children occupied and provide comfort to those with a fear of flying, claustrophobia, or motion sickness in an already stressful environment. "Others simply want a little sunshine to brighten their day," the suits add.
A spokesperson for United Airlines declined to comment on the pending litigation. The Hill has reached out to Delta for comment.
Commercial airlines often operate aircraft with at least one row of seats that does not have a window, sometimes to accommodate air conditioning systems or other equipment.
The lawsuits allege that unlike other carriers such as American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, which explicitly inform customers at checkout that these seats are windowless, United and Delta fail to do so. The law firm estimates that both airlines may have sold at least 1 million windowless seats.
Like their competitors, United and Delta offer basic economy fares that do not include complimentary seat selection. Passengers must pay for an upgraded fare to choose their seats, and some of the windowless rows are located in premium sections that command a higher fee. Passengers are also able to pay for these seats using frequent flyer miles or through loyalty programs.
"When a passenger books a seat on an airplane against a wall," the complaint against Delta reads, "they expect that there is a window."
