They demand the Delta and United airlines for charging for seats with window that did not have it

Image source, Getty Images

Photo foot, United Airlines aircraft, one of the demanded airlines, at the San Francisco airport.

- Author, Osmond Chia
- Author's title, Business Reporter, BBC News
August 21, 2025

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have been sued by passengers who denounce that they were charged an extra for a window seat, but ended up sitting next to a wall.

The demands, presented separately against the two US airlines, claim millions of dollars in damages for more than one million customers of each company.

The plaintiffs claim that companies do not warn during the reservation process that the seats have no window, despite charging a higher price for them.

United did not want to comment because it was an ongoing legal issue. The BBC has contacted Delta to request its comments.

The demands seek the reimbursement of additional charges for passengers who claimed to have paid for window seats, but did not get one.

Both demands, which have been examined by the BBC, were presented by the law firm Greenbaum Olbrantz.

A “misleading” and “illegal” practice

Claims indicate that some Boeing and Airbus passenger aircraft have seats that lack windows due to the location of air conditioning ducts, wiring or other components.

According to judicial documents, Delta and United do not identify these seats during the reserve process.

The demands affirm that people buy window seats for various reasons, such as to control the fear of flying, avoiding dizziness, keeping children entertaining or simply to contemplate the view.

According to the demands, some passengers would not have chosen those seats or accepted to pay more for them if they had known that they had no window.

Both airlines describe each seat along the sides of their aircraft as a “window seat”, even when they know that some are not next to one, according to the documents.

Passengers can be charged more for selecting a window seat compared to a standard seat.

The lawyers of the plaintiffs described this practice as “misleading” and “illegal.”

Other airlines, such as American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, operate similar airplanes, but they do reveal during the reserve process if a seat does not include a window, the lawyers added.