Windowless window seats: How to check where you’ll be sitting before you upgrade
August 21, 2025
United Airlines and Delta Air Lines are facing class-action lawsuits alleging they misled passengers by charging extra for window seats that, in some cases, offered no actual window.
The suits, filed in federal courts this week, claim both airlines sold more than one million seats labelled as windows on aircraft such as Boeing 737s, 757s and Airbus A321s.
In reality, some rows align with solid fuselage panels that contain ducting or wiring, leaving passengers with a blank wall instead of a view.
Suits allege airline deceptive practices on windowless seats
Many airlines worldwide have “windowless” window seats on their aircraft, and where these pop up depends on the type of aircraft and the specific cabin layout.
Hey @Delta – why did I pay for a window seat, to get sat in a row with no window? What’s the point?????? Lmao pic.twitter.com/W9ykjPyp5h
— Sini 𖤐 (@LaSinity) July 30, 2025
However, the plaintiffs argue that Delta and United engaged in deceptive business practices and breached their contracts with passengers by failing to disclose the absence of windows.
Travellers often paid seat selection fees ranging from $30 to more than $100 to secure a window seat, only to be disappointed once they were onboard.
According to the complaints, airlines have sometimes refunded the seat selection fee, and in other cases refused to do so.
Windowless window seat. #Fail pic.twitter.com/Nv6PEJTFow
— Steve Mc Gregor (@stevemcgf) January 5, 2023
In one case cited in the complaint, a passenger who raised the issue with the airline was offered frequent flyer miles as compensation, which they considered inadequate.
The issue is mainly that the airlines do not provide clear notice that these seats lack windows before charging for the window seat.
“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,” Reuters quotes United’s complaint as saying. The complaint against Delta made a similar claim.
By comparison, other carriers, including American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, indicate during booking when a seat doesn’t have a window.
Why pay extra for a window seat when there isn’t any?
Window seats are among the most popular choices on flights. Passengers often select them for the view, natural light, or a sense of stability that reduces motion sickness. The lawsuits argue that selling a wall seat as a window seat deprived travellers of these benefits while unfairly charging a premium.
The case raises concerns around airline transparency on ancillary sales, like seat selection fees, which have become a significant revenue stream for airlines.
What would you do? The "No Window" Window Seat 😂 pic.twitter.com/hst6z8BLUc
— Josh Cahill (@gotravelyourway) July 22, 2023
According to IdeaWorks Company, which tracks airline ancillary sales, “Paid seating tops the list of a la carte items for sale at 25 leading global airlines – and it’s no wonder. Seat assignments are the most conspicuous aspect of flying today, outstripping the top item a decade ago, checked baggage.”
How to spot a windowless seat before booking
The most reliable way to know whether your seat has a window is on the airline’s seat map, which appears as part of the booking flow. However, as the suits allege, some airlines fail to highlight the missing windows on these seats.
For now, passengers are advised to double-check online seat map tools, which often mark windowless seats, before paying for upgrades.
SeatGuru has long been a useful online tool for checking aircraft seating before booking, and in some cases, it can still be helpful. It marks windowless seats and seats with other passenger comfort issues by showing them in red or yellow on the seat map.
However, the site’s data hasn’t been updated for several years. As airlines are constantly changing their cabins, some of the seat maps and equipment details may be outdated.
As an alternative, AeroLOPA maintains current seat maps for the world’s leading airlines and offers other helpful information on aircraft cabin specifications.
While AeroLOPA does not highlight windowless seats and seats with other issues on its seat maps as SeatGuru does, it accurately shows window and seat alignment. This makes it easier to double-check whether your window seat offers a view or a wall panel.
Airlines should offer clear disclosure on windowless seats, lawyer says
Carter Greenbaum, a lawyer whose firm filed the two lawsuits, told Reuters the fact that travellers can find the information from third-party websites doesn’t excuse Delta’s and United’s lack of disclosure.
“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,” he said.
The class action lawsuits seek millions in damages, refunds, and injunctions that would prevent United and Delta from labelling windowless seats as window seats in the future. If successful, the cases could force airlines to adopt clearer disclosure practices across the industry.
