Passengers are suing two American airline companies - Delta Air Lines and United Airlines - for selling "window seats" that don't actually have windows on their flights. Seats in some rows end up being windowless because of how air conditioning ducts, electrical conduits, or other systems are positioned in particular planes. The lawsuit claims that the two aforementioned airlines do not reveal this aspect of the seats to passengers during the booking process, despite generally charging them extra fees for window seats. The lawsuit pointed out that the airlines' other competitors, like American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, flag 'windowless' window seats clearly while a customer is purchasing a ticket. Seat selection across airlines nearly always comes at a premium price, ranging from tens to hundreds of dollars.
The proposed class actions were filed separately - the one for United was filed in San Francisco, and the one against Delta was filed in Brooklyn, New York. Both complaints have similar wording. The lawsuit seeks millions of dollars in damages for more than 1 million customers of each airline. An excerpt from the complaint against United Airlines reads, "United's deceptive conduct is unlawful, and amounts to a breach [of] its contracts with affected passengers. Through this action, Plaintiffs, on behalf of themselves and the class they seek to represent, seek compensatory and exemplary damages for United's serial wrongdoing." The plaintiffs also seek a public injunction to mandate clearer labelling of airline seats and to put a stop to misleading practices.
Both complaints listed various reasons why passengers chose window seats specifically. In the document pertaining to Delta, it was noted, "Windows can captivate or distract an antsy child. Many people have a fear of flying, or get claustrophobic or motion sick on planes, and windows give them a greater level of comfort in an otherwise stressful environment. Others just want a burst of sunlight to brighten their days. Whatever the motive, had Plaintiff and the class members known they were choosing a windowless seat, they would not have selected it at all, much less paid more money for it."
Passengers can discover that some window seats are actually 'windowless' by using certain third-party websites. However, Carter Greenbaum (the lawyer whose firm filed the two lawsuits) said this doesn't excuse the two airlines' conduct, reported Reuters. The complaints against both airlines have also cited social media posts where passengers complained about their refund requests being denied after being given 'windowless' window seats.
Neither airline has responded to Reuters' request for a comment so far.
