United Airlines faces a class-action lawsuit seeking millions in damages on behalf of more than 1 million passengers who paid extra for window seats that offered no outside view. A federal judge in San Francisco rejected United's attempt to dismiss the case, ruling that the term "window seat" is not merely a description of seat position relative to the cabin wall.
The dispute centres on certain Boeing 737, 757 and Airbus A321 aircraft where some seats marked as window-adjacent sit beside a blank fuselage wall with no window. Delta Air Lines is also being sued over the practice, with its case proceeding in a Brooklyn federal court after passengers filed complaints in August 2024.
Judge James Donato dismissed the airlines' argument that "window seat" refers exclusively to seating position, not a guaranteed view. United added more detail to its seat selection process in 2025, after the litigation was filed.