Last Updated on 1 week by Ashley Michael
United Airlines and Delta Air Lines face class-action lawsuits filed Tuesday for charging passengers premium fees for window seats that lack actual windows.
Law firm Greenbaum Olbrantz filed the cases in federal courts in San Francisco and Brooklyn on behalf of passengers who paid extra for seats next to blank walls.
The complaints allege certain Boeing 737, Boeing 757 and Airbus A321 aircraft contain seats marketed as window seats despite having no windows due to air conditioning ducts, electrical conduits or other systems.
Both airlines charged tens to hundreds of dollars for these seats without disclosing their windowless status during booking, according to the lawsuits.
The Delta lawsuit is led by Nicholas Meyer of Brooklyn, who paid extra for seat 32A to Atlanta and seat 23F to Orange County on August 5. Both seats lacked windows despite being marketed as window seats.
United passenger Aviva Copaken paid between $45.99 and $169.99 per seat on three Los Angeles flights. She received refunds for two flights but not the third after complaining.
The lawsuits note competitors American Airlines and Alaska Airlines flag windowless seats during booking, while United and Delta do not.
Attorney Carter Greenbaum stated companies cannot misrepresent products then rely on third-party reviews to excuse false advertising.
The law firm estimates each airline sold at least one million windowless window seats. Passengers seek millions in damages.
The complaints cite social media posts from travelers complaining about paying for window seats only to find blank walls upon boarding.
Passengers purchase window seats to address flying fears, motion sickness, occupy children, gain extra light or enjoy views, the lawsuits state.
Neither airline immediately responded to requests for comment.