WON'T FLY

United and Delta Airlines Sued For Selling ‘Windowless’ Window Seats

The suits allege that passengers would not have paid more for window seats if they knew they were windowless.

A new class action lawsuit against United and Delta Air Lines claims the airlines sold window seats without windows. The suit, filed in federal court on Tuesday, claims passengers were seated next to empty walls despite paying extra for seat preferences and seeks millions in damages for more than a million customers per airline. While some aircraft like the Boeing 737, Boeing 757, and Airbus A321 are designed with rows of windowless aisles due to AC ducts and other systems, the complaint alleges that Delta and United fail to disclose this information to customers, unlike competitors like American or Alaska Airlines. “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 reads. According to Business Insider, the suit states that Delta passengers can spend $70 or more to choose seats while the United suit states costs can exceed $50 for domestic flights and $100 for international ones. The lawsuit notes that passengers purchase window seats for reasons like extra light, to occupy antsy children, or to mitigate anxious or claustrophobic feelings. United Airlines did not comment on the case. Delta Airlines did not respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment.