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United Airlines will have to defend itself in court after a federal judge refused to dismiss a lawsuit brought by passengers who say they paid extra for window seats only to discover there was no actual window. US District Judge James Donato ruled that the proposed class-action lawsuit can move forward, rejecting United’s argument that a “window seat” simply refers to the seat’s location next to the aircraft’s sidewall rather than guaranteeing a physical window with an outside view.
The lawsuit was filed last year after passengers reported being assigned seats next to blank cabin walls on certain Boeing 737, Boeing 757, and Airbus A321 aircraft. In some rows, aircraft structural components or systems, such as air conditioning ducts, prevent windows from aligning with the seat.
Reuters reports that passengers claim United failed to clearly disclose these windowless seats during the booking process while continuing to charge premiums for them. Judge Donato noted that United’s ticketing materials, boarding passes, and reservation screens expressly describe these seats as “window seats,” concluding that the breach-of-contract claims deserve to proceed.
United declined to comment on the pending litigation but said it has updated its online seat selection process to provide customers with more information about what to expect before choosing a seat. The lawsuit seeks millions of dollars in damages and could potentially represent more than one million passengers. A similar lawsuit against Delta Air Lines remains pending in federal court in New York.
Anthony’s Take: According to the plaintiffs, many travelers specifically select window seats to ease anxiety about flying, reduce motion sickness, entertain children, enjoy natural light, or simply take in the view outside. The outcome of the case could ultimately determine whether airlines must more clearly identify seats that lack an actual window despite being marketed as window seats.
(Featured Image Credit: United Airlines.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
