Delta and United Hit with Passenger Lawsuit
On Tuesday, passengers filed a lawsuit against Delta and United Airlines. They claim they paid extra for “window” seats, only to find there were no windows.
This proposed class action lawsuit seeks millions in damages for over a million passengers, with filings made in federal court in San Francisco and Brooklyn, New York.
The complaints point out that aircraft like the Boeing 737, Boeing 757, and Airbus A321 typically feature window seats, but in some cases, these seats lack windows due to issues like the positioning of air conditioning ducts or electrical wiring.
Passengers noted that Delta and United didn’t indicate these windowless seats during the booking process, unlike other airlines such as Alaska Airlines and American Airlines.
Window seats are often chosen for various reasons: maybe to cope with a fear of flying, manage motion sickness, keep children entertained, or just take in more light and views.
“The plaintiffs and the class members were aware that there were no windows when they booked their seats, but they wouldn’t have selected those seats if they had known,” the lawsuit stated, with United making similar arguments.
Delta is based in Atlanta, while United operates from Chicago. Neither airline provided immediate comments on the matter.
Revenue streams like seat selection fees, baggage charges, and premium services help airlines maintain low base fares while boosting profits.
The Delta case is led by Nicholas Meyer from Brooklyn, while the United lawsuit is represented by Mark Brenman in San Francisco and Aviva Copaken from Los Angeles. Copaken mentioned that United issued refunds for some windowless seats on two flights but did not do so for a third flight.
Travelers often use platforms like SeatGuru to evaluate the pros and cons of specific seats, including those without windows.
According to attorney Carter Greenbaum, the availability of third-party information doesn’t absolve Delta and United of responsibility. He noted, “Companies should not misrepresent the nature of their products and shouldn’t depend on outside reviews to gauge if their customers are being deceived.”
The cases are filed under: US District Court, No. 2017, Eastern District of New York. Meyer v Delta Air Lines Inc, US District Court, 25-04608, and Brenman et al. v United Airlines, US District Court, Northern District of San Francisco, No. 25-06995.
