• by Tanya Gazdik , November 16, 2025

Sometimes a window seat on an airline doesn’t come with a window. 

But a passenger is suing United Airlines in a proposed class action lawsuit over the lack of a window. Attorneys for the airline filed a motion to dismiss the suit last week.

Two similar complaints were filed against both United and Delta Air Lines in California and New York in August.

“The use of the word ‘window’ in reference to a particular seat cannot reasonably be interpreted as a promise that the seat will have an exterior window view,” attorneys for United argue in their motion to dismiss, according to People. 

The word “window” identifies the position of the seat — next to the wall of the main body of the aircraft rather than next to the aisle, contends the airline. 

Some seats near the wall don’t have a window due to the alignment of the seats along the fuselage of the aircraft.

“This is an issue that is particularly well known on some aircraft types, especially certain models of the Boeing 737, where the aircraft is manufactured without a window at row 11,” according to PYOK.

The airline’s lawyers also pointed to United's contract of carriage, which does not expressly promise that window seats have exterior views, according to Business Insider. 

“According to the plaintiffs, passengers typically buy window seats to quell fear of flying and motion sickness, keep children occupied, get more light or watch the world as they fly past,” according to Reuters. “The plaintiffs said they would have chosen different seats, and not paid extra, had they known United and Delta would seat them next to blank walls.”

The plaintiffs, who are represented by law firm Carter Greenbaum, seek millions in damages and estimate more than 1 million customers per airline were affected, according to Simple Flying. 

“The two named plaintiffs claim they got windowless window seats on United flights departing from airports in California,” according to Airline Geeks.. “One was refunded money for her purchase, while the other was refunded in miles, which their lawyers maintain was not enough.”