Celebrity journalist Gayle King is being ripped online for complaining that her first-class seat on United Airlines did not have a window.
In a video posted to her 1.1 million followers on Instagram, King complained that she knew the eight-hour flight from Maui, Hawaii to New York was “gonna be a long ride” after finding out she was in a windowless seat.
“I always like the window seat, and I know the L series is window seats, so I sit down, I go, ‘oh great, okay, let’s look out the window.’ Oh, hm. There is no window,” King said in the video.
In the video, King looks to see if the seat in front of her has a window, and it did, but the person occupying the seat had the shade closed.
“United and I have very different ideas about a window,” King said. “What’s a girl to do?”
Social media users were quick to bash the CBS News anchor as being out of touch for her complaints.
“Imagine living a life where this is your biggest problem,” one social media user wrote.
“Boohoo Gayle. Flying business class is so challenging,” one user sarcastically added.
“Gayle people are dying!!” another quipped.
“Gayle. There are times we just ‘Let Go’ and thank God for our blessings,” one social media user said.
Another joked, “Gayle you’ve been to space what more do you need to see mama.”
Some were supportive of King, saying United should have advertised the seat as being windowless. Others wrote about similar experiences they have had on other airlines, where a seat advertised as being a window seat did not have a window.
The Daily Beast has contacted United Airlines and reps for King for comment.
Business class seats on United between Maui’s Kahului Airport and Newark International Airport, King’s route per her ticket, cost thousands. Prices on United’s website as of January show the ticket can be between $2,500 and $5,000 throughout the Spring.
United and Delta Airlines are currently facing a class action lawsuit regarding the sale of window seats that are actually windowless. The company has argued that the term “window seat” essentially means the seat is next to the cabin wall, and does not guarantee a passenger an actual window.
“The use of the word ‘window’ in reference to a particular seat cannot reasonably be interpreted as a promise that the seat will have an exterior window view,” United has argued.
In a comment to King’s post, CBS News’ new MAGA-coded evening news anchor Tony Dokoupil told her to “Join the class action lawsuit! A window means a window.”
