It turns out in airline parlance, “window seat” may be something of an oxymoron.
Kind of like “virtual reality.” It’s not actually reality, in the same way the window seat you paid extra for on your long-haul flight might not actually have a window, but a blank wall instead.
That’s the issue at the root of a multi-million class-action lawsuit filed against United Airlines, which the airline is attempting to have thrown out of federal court in California.
In August, the Greenbaum Olbrantz LLP law firm filed a suit against United Airlines for selling so-called window seats where there’s no window, just a blank wall (1) — charging customers a premium of anywhere from $45 to $169 for the privilege.
The suit argues that if the plaintiffs had known the window seats did not feature windows (2): “They would not have selected them — much less have paid extra.”
United’s response? As Sacramento’s ABC10 reports, the airline’s lawyers issued a November court filing asking the judge to throw out the case because (3):
“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.”
By United Airlines’ definition, a window seat is identified by its position “next to the wall of the main body of the aircraft.”
While it may sound absurd to hear that one cannot “reasonably” assume that window seats will feature a window, there’s a reason not all so-called window seats have them.
Why your “window seat” may not come with a window
As People reports, some aircrafts have a wall where there would otherwise be windows in order to cover “air conditioning ducts, electrical conduits or other interior components.”
Lonely Planet notes that all airlines configure their cabins and individual aircraft in different ways, with variations in seating — for example extra legroom — and closets and kitchens impacting the alignment of window seats with windows or walls (4).
Irish airline Ryanair sells a windowless seat on flights famously known as seat 11A; it even has its own social media account (5) where travelers post pictures of the blank wall with a window superimposed or drawn onto it.
But in good-humored fashion, the airline is totally transparent about the windowless window seat and even pokes fun at windowless offerings on its own official X account (6).
Still, the windowless seats are no laughing matter for those who unknowingly pay extra for them.
"Consumers deserve better than empty promises and United’s word games,” Greenbaum Olbrantz LLP partner Carter Greenbaum commented in an email to Reuters (7).
Moreover, he’s not buying the idea that customers cannot “reasonably” expect a window seat to include a view out the window.
The lawsuit states that on its mobile app, United “affirmatively describes every wall-adjacent seat as having a ‘window’ — including the windowless seats.”
It alleges United knowingly “sold more than a million windowless ‘window’ seats.”
A trial date is set for next June, unless the judge agrees to throw out the case. Meanwhile Greenbaum Olbrantz LLP has launched a similar but separate suit against Delta Air Lines.
In the meantime, if you want to avoid window rage at 30,000 feet, here are some ways to protect yourself from paying non-refundable fees for a window seat with a view of an empty wall.
How to nab a window seat with a view
The best way to avoid paying for a windowless “window seat” is to look up your plane on websites like SeatMaps.com or AeroLOPA.com.
Both provide actual visual seat maps and information on fleets operated by hundreds of airlines around the world.
For example, if you go to SeatMaps and look up a United Boeing 737 — one of the planes mentioned in the lawsuit — on SeatMaps, you’ll find a map of the entire cabin and all the numbered seats (8).
Seats marked in yellow or red indicate potential issues. That includes seats 10A and 10F, as well 34A and 34F. When you hover over them you’ll see they’re marked with a warning about a “partial or missing window view.”
The AeroLOPA map of the exact same plane doesn’t specify an issue with those windows, but you can easily see by the diagram that those same seats are not aligned with windows (9).
Checking a site like those above, using the airline name and model of the plane you’re considering flying, before buying your tickets could save you a lot of money and frustration.
Other options include contacting the airline to confirm your seat has a window, or checking the airline’s own seating map for windowless seats, but as the United plaintiffs might point out, some airlines don’t share that information.
Condé Nast Traveler suggests that if you discover you booked a windowless “window seat”, you can politely ask a flight attendant if there’s a free window seat with a window — or if another passenger might be willing to swap (10).
Patience when dealing with the crew could reap other rewards, if not an immediate window.
One Delta flight attendant told InsideHook that the airline “gives us the ability to award miles to passengers who are inconvenienced.”
And perks can always help with your point of view, even if the view from your seat isn’t so pretty.
Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
People (1); Courthouse News (2); ABC News 10 (3); Lonely Planet (4); X (5, 6); Reuters (7); SeatMaps (8); AeroLOPA (9); Condé Nast Traveler (10); InsideHook (11)
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.