The airline previously argued that “window” refers to the position of the seat on the airplane and does not guarantee any outside views
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NEED TO KNOW
- A federal judge rejected United Airlines’ argument that window seats don’t guarantee a window with outside views
- Passengers filed a class action lawsuit in 2025 claiming they were unfairly charged for window seats without actual windows
- United said it updated its seat selection process in 2025 to provide more details about seat expectations for customers
United Airlines’ bid to dismiss a lawsuit regarding its selling of “windowless” window seats has been rejected by a federal judge.
On Monday, July 6, U.S. District Judge James Donato in San Francisco rejected the airline’s argument that a window seat refers to the position of the seat on the airplane and does not promise any outside views, Reuters reported.
The rejection of United’s defense comes after the airline tried to fight a proposed class action lawsuit from passengers who argued they were unfairly charged for window seats that didn’t have actual windows.
Credit: Alamy
According to Reuters, Judge Donato said it’s stated in the airline’s ticketing terms, boarding passes and reservation screens that passengers who paid for window seats will get them.
“No more is needed at this stage for the breach claims to go forward,” the judge said, according to the outlet.
A United spokesperson told PEOPLE that the airline has nothing to share on the lawsuit, but provided an update about its seat selection process.
“As part of our regular review of united.com and the United App to enhance the customer experience, in 2025 we added more detail to our seat selection process, so customers can have more information about what to expect when they choose a seat,” the airline said.
PEOPLE previously reported United’s claims regarding what a window seat actually entails amid its attempt to dismiss the proposed lawsuit in November 2025.
“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 argued in their motion to dismiss, filed in a San Francisco federal court on Nov. 10.
They added: “Rather, the word ‘window’ identifies the position of the seat — i.e., next to the wall of the main body of the aircraft.”
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In August 2025, two similar complaints were filed against both United and Delta Air Lines in California and New York federal courts, respectively, with both lawsuits alleging the airlines didn’t warn passengers their window seats didn’t actually have windows.
Per Reuters, the passengers are seeking millions of dollars in damages. The outlet also highlights travelers’ reasoning behind specifically selecting window seats for their travels, including motion sickness, fear of flying or to keep children occupied.
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