Two major US airlines are being sued by passengers who say they paid extra for “window” seats, only to find themselves given seats next to a blank wall.
Delta Air Lines and United Airlines each face proposed class action lawsuits representing more than a million passengers each.
The damages being sought number in the millions of dollars.
Passengers said Delta and United do not flag these non-window seats during the booking process, unlike rivals such as Alaska Airlines and American Airlines, even when charging tens or occasionally hundreds of dollars for them.
The lawsuits say people buy window seats for several reasons including to address fear of flying, keeping children occupied or just to enjoy the view.
“Had plaintiffs and the class members known that the seats they were purchasing (were) windowless, they would not have selected them – much less have paid extra,” the complaint against United said. The Delta complaint contained similar language.
Neither Delta or United immediately responded to requests for comment by the Reuters news agency.
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Passengers can use websites such as SeatGuru to find advantages and disadvantages of specific seats, including those that don’t have windows.
But Carter Greenbaum, a lawyer whose firm filed the two lawsuits, said this doesn’t excuse Delta’s and United’s conduct.
He said: “A company can’t misrepresent the nature of the products it sells and then rely on third party reviews to say a customer should have known that it was lying.”
