Class-action lawsuits filed Tuesday seek millions in damages for passengers who paid extra for “window seats” with no actual windows
Two separate lawsuits were filed Tuesday in federal courts, with proposed class actions filed against United in San Francisco federal court and against Delta in Brooklyn, New York federal court, seeking millions of dollars of damages for more than 1 million passengers at each carrier.
The Core Issue: Seats Without Views
The complaints say some Boeing 737, Boeing 757 and Airbus A321 planes contain seats that would normally contain windows, but lack them because of the placement of air conditioning ducts, electrical conduits or other components.
The problem affects specific seat configurations on these aircraft types, where structural elements prevent windows from being installed in what would typically be window seat locations. Half of Delta’s fleet of nearly 1,000 aircraft comprises Boeing 737s, Boeing 757s and Airbus A321s — all of which have at least one wall-adjacent seat with no window.
You would think these airlines would indicate which seats have windows. From the perspective of the passengers, you pay for a window seat because these airlines want to make an extra buck or two through selling certain seats. If you are not getting what you paid for, then there is false advertising, and you should receive some extra compensation.
Real Plaintiffs With Real Grievances
The Delta lawsuit is led by Nicholas Meyer of Brooklyn, and the United lawsuit is led by Marc Brenman of San Francisco and Aviva Copaken of Los Angeles. According to court documents, Meyer booked a trip on Aug. 5, 2025, from LaGuardia Airport in New York to Orange County, California, with a layover in Atlanta and chose a window seat for the view. But Meyer claims he found himself spending “the ensuing four-and-a-half hour flight next to a blank wall”.
Copaken said United refunded fees for her windowless seats on two flights, but not a third. Aviva Copaken, a Los Angeles resident who experiences claustrophobia, said she paid between $45.99 and $169.99 for three United flights labeled as window seats, only to find herself staring at a wall.
Legal Claims and Charges
The lawsuits allege that airlines are engaging in deceptive business practices by charging premium fees for seats that don’t deliver the promised amenity. “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 said. The Delta complaint contained similar language.
According to the lawsuits, United can charge $50 for window seat assignment on domestic flights and $100 for some international flights, while Delta passengers must pay up to $40 to reach a higher ticket tier, at which point they would need to pay more than $30 to pick their window seat.
Industry Context and Comparison
The legal action highlights a disparity in how airlines handle this issue. Passengers said Delta and United do not flag these seats during the booking process, unlike rivals such as Alaska Airlines and American Airlines, even when charging tens or occasionally hundreds of dollars for them.
The lawsuit noted that American Airlines and Alaska Airlines inform customers if the seats they want to purchase don’t have windows. This transparency from competitor airlines forms part of the legal argument that Delta and United could easily remedy the situation.
Available Resources for Travelers
While the lawsuits proceed, passengers can take steps to avoid this issue. Passengers can use websites such as SeatGuru to find pluses and minuses of specific seats, including those lacking windows. For travelers hoping to avoid the problem, tools like TripAdvisor’s SeatGuru.com can help identify seats without windows. On many maps, such seats are marked in red to indicate limited or no view.
Flying comes with all types of stresses, and the added stress of buying a window seat when the seat is just a wall can be annoying especially when it happens several times with the same airline. Thankfully, Alaskan and American Airlines tell the customers about the seats allowing the customers to make better decisions.