In August 2025, two nearly identical lawsuits were filed: one against United (in San Francisco federal court) and one against Delta Air Lines (in Brooklyn federal court). They claim that each airline sold more than one million “window seats” on aircraft such as the Boeing 737, Boeing 757, and Airbus A321, many of which are next to blank fuselage walls rather than windows.
Passengers say they paid seat-selection fees (commonly $30 to $100+) expecting a view, sunlight, or the comfort of a genuine window seat — and say they would not have booked or paid extra had they known the seat lacked a window.
As reported by Reuters, United’s filing argues that it never promised a view when it used the label “window” for a seat. According to the airline, “window” refers only to the seat’s location next to the aircraft wall, not a guarantee of an exterior view.
[Editting for anyone scrolling. I just checked my future flights booked for my wife and/or I, as well as attempted to book a new flight and the seats prices are the same withing the seat class, aisle/middle/window, are all the same. Anyone arguing otherwise is 100% wrong. I travel for work and know more about this than someone who clearly doesn’t.]
We’re are people paying extra for a window seat? I fly United all the time for work and the seat is always the same depending on the seat class. Economy, preferred economy, or economy plus are all the same regardless of aisle, middle or window.
Their entire claim is bullshit. Also frequent flyers all know the aisle seat is superior.
[Second edit: before anyone wants to leave a dumbass comment explaining why you are wrong and don’t understand flight bookings.
https://imgur.com/a/bXIg8ZH
[Editing for everyone else rolling by: I just checked, middle was cheapest, window was mid price, aisle cost the most. Original comment continues:]
90% sure the middle seats are cheaper when I book United directly. I fly 6 trips a year and am a window addict. I don’t know, doesn’t matter how often I fly, I stare out the window. It’s fascinating every single time. I also don’t have to get up much, so I enjoy not being bothered for everyone else’s bathroom trip. My SO will pick the middle seat, which is why I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it be cheaper.
I have also been burned with a wall seat. I got it on some Embraer (175?) where it was 2 seats each side, I think row 10 on one side and 12 on the other were walls.
I will acknowledge the aisle seat may be better on this new-to-me annual 15 hour flight where the 787 windows were tinted the whole time anyway. Sub-8 hour flights are fine, but the slow creeping of claustrophobia is real on that flight.
They aren’t. Only a 2-3 rows behind the exit door over the wing are like that but the middle are economy and the aisles and window are preferred economy. All other rows are the same based on the seat class. This is equally true for no status, silver, and gold status.
You fly 6 times a year. I fly every 2-3 weeks. I also book flights for my wife. If I’m not on the ticket it uses her status and it’s the same thing. Price is based on seat class.
There is no argument because this it equally true for every flight regardless of plane type, origin or destination.
Confidently incorrect.
Lol I literally just checked for you. Not only is the middle seat cheaper, but the aisle seat is more than the window seat. Picked a large cross-USA trip to make sure it’d have triple seats.
JFK-LAX
Jan 18, 2026
Basic as can be to make sure no upcharges were included Picked whatever flight was first
787-9, dual aisles with 3 triple seats across.
Aisles are the same across a row, middles are the same as well, regardless of middle triple or side triple
Row 45 (preferred eco) Window is +$70, aisle is +$54, aisle is +$86
Row 55 (eco) window is +$30, middle is +$23, aisle is +$36
Meanwhile, you’re being unnecessarily condescending about wanting a window seat. It’s preference. Good for you and your jetset life. I like window seats, that’s all.
You just confirmed there is a preferred economy and economy. I just booked economy flights for my wife and all the seats were the same for the row, There was then an up charge if she switched to preferred economy.
I regularly fly and I can book the preferred economy at no charge and if I upgrade to economy plus there is a single charge regardless of seat in a single row. The only times that is different is for exit row seats. Those are classes as preferred economy but more than the other preferred economy. Last year when I had gold status I could book economy plus at no charge and it was the same regardless of seat.
I literally just fucking looked at my wife’s economy tickets for a flight she has in two weeks and it’s the same regardless of seat in a row. In fact all the rows are the same as long as they say economy.
Arguing with me on something I am 100% fucking right about and can fucking check is the stupidest thing I’ve seen on this fucking website. Do I need to take a bunch of screenshots for you fuck heads to understand something you know nothing about?
That’s why I gave you row 55 pricing. It’s 2nd from the back, the rearmost row with all 9 seats available at the time of looking. I don’t know why you’re so confident there’s no window upcharge when you can clearly verify for yourself that there is, in fact, a way to get it to show you different pricing. Somehow, you’re convinced picking true basic class is not valid because it’s so poor.
That’s a funny edit you added to the parent comment. In your very first comment, you asked “We’re [sic] are people paying extra for a window seat?” and then two different people showed you. Amazing.
Picking basic class isn’t poor, it’s just has limitations like only 1 item and, get this, NOT PICKING YOUR SEAT FOR FREE. Economy tickets are usually just a little more than the basic economy and if you don’t care about the seat, great. But if you are going to pick your seat, why are you getting a ticket that costs more to pick the seat, when a economy ticket lets you pick the seat and is cheaper than the combined price of basic + seat charge + checked item.
You’re verifiably wrong. If you pick your seat, exit rows, aisles, and windows cost more. You seem to be the only person that hasn’t seen that. So either you’re flying on a different United from everyone else, or you’re wrong.
I mentioned exit rows on another comment. They are preferred economy, priced higher than the other preferred economy, but less than economy plus. Every else is the same depending on seat class.
I know I’m not wrong because I do this every 1-3 weeks.
You’re right on the first part but wrong on the last. If you pick your seat, where you pick in a row affects the price. Perhaps as a frequent flyer you have perks that others of us don’t have.
I just booked two flights for my wife, who doesn’t have status and thus she is limited to economy without paying for an upgrade.
One is a round trip in December and the other is a round trip next October. Each had a connection. That’s a total of 8 individual planes and each one had the same price for every economy seat.
I’ve got a flight booked for a snowboarding trip next February into Denver. If I go to pick my seat right now, it’s $47.99 for the aisle or window and $36.99 for a middle seat in the preferred section. In economy it’s $19.99 and $17.99 respectively.
You selected the basic economy option, not Economy. Select Economy for the ticket and all the economy seats are the same. Basic economy makes you pay to select a seat, only get one carry one or personal item, and board in group 6. Basic economy is cheaper that that is literally why.
Go through the process of booking it again and select economy and you’ll see.
I’m having issues posting a picture. I’ll update in a few. I had to do imgur.
https://imgur.com/a/bXIg8ZH
The suit doesn’t say that they paid extra for a window seat, it says they paid extra to pick their seat (that is, to not have it randomly assigned). So they paid extra to select their seat, but the selection they made did not include all of the relevant information.
Yeah, that’s the basic economy than only united and few other airlines have. Delta and American lowest you pick the seat. United just has the option of a cheaper seat without picking the actual seat or getting a carry on, only a personal item.
You have to pay about $70 more to pick your seat (and that wouldn’t guarantee a window available in the first place).