A California judge has allowed a class-action lawsuit against United Airlines to proceed after a passenger alleged the airline charged extra for a window seat that had no window.
The lawsuit claims United misled customers by selling certain seats as “window seats” during the booking process, even though some aircraft configurations—such as certain Boeing 737s, Boeing 757s and Airbus A321s—contain seats located next to the cabin wall but without an actual window due to the placement of internal structures, including air-conditioning ducts and electrical systems.
United argued that its definition of a window seat refers only to the seat’s position relative to the aisle, rather than guaranteeing a physical window. However, Judge James Donato rejected the airline’s request to dismiss the case, ruling that the passenger’s claim was plausible because the booking system and boarding pass explicitly identified the purchased seat as a window seat.
The court found that United’s ticketing information could reasonably be interpreted as a promise to provide a seat with a window, allowing the breach-of-contract claims to move forward.
United said it had updated its seat-selection process in 2025 to provide customers with more information about seat characteristics. A similar lawsuit has also been filed against Delta Air Lines in New York, while some carriers, including American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, have already begun informing passengers when a selected “window seat” does not include an actual window.