Why some plane window seats don’t actually have a window

For many airline passengers, booking a window seat is an important part of the flying experience. 

Whether it’s watching aircraft taxi, admiring the landscape below or catching a spectacular sunset above the clouds, the view is part of the journey.

However, not every seat labelled as a window seat actually comes with a window. And the reason lies in aircraft design, cabin layouts and the hidden systems built behind the cabin wall.

Why do some plane window seats have no window? 

On some flights, passengers find themselves seated against the fuselage with no window at all – despite having booked a window seat. 

Passengers have complained on social media about the issue, claiming it is a seating error, but it is actually the result of how an aircraft is designed and configured. 

The position of the windows, seats and cabin features do not always align perfectly.

On Boeing 737 aircraft, there is a seat or two, on the left side of the aircraft between row 10 and row 12, without a window.  Some seats have partial access to a window, but others have no window at all.

Alaska Airlines’ director of fleet engineering, John Melvin, explained: “That’s the spot where Boeing places the air conditioning riser ducts from the belly – where the air conditioners are located – to the cabin ceiling, where the air distribution ducts are at. 

“The vertical ducts are located behind the passenger compartment sidewall panels and they prevent the installation of a window in one row on the left side. This is standard on all Boeing 737 aircraft, not just ours.”

Which plane seats are most likely to have no window?

On Alaska’s Boeing 737 family, the 737-700 has no window in Seat 9A, on the 737-800 there is no window in seat 10A, and on the 737-900/900ER, there is no window in seat 11A. 

The latter is true of Ryanair’s seating configuration. FlightRadar24 has gone as far as calling 11A “Europe’s most hated airline seat”. 

A blog on the flight tracking website said the seat “has been a harbinger of both hilarity and fury for Ryanair passengers over the years, leading to an almost endless stream of jokes, complaints and memes”. 

On the carrier’s Boeing 737 MAX 8200 aircraft, a higher density cabin configuration  means the windowless seat is located at 12A. 

The same exists on some other aircraft types, for example the Dash 8 – Q400, which has a partially blocked window at row 11.

“There is an obstruction of the view from the window due to electrical conduits that pass through that area similar to the Boeing 737,” said David White, director of fleet engineering at Horizon, which formerly operated a large fleet of Q400s. 

“It’s not a complete obstruction, but the windows are located pretty far forward and aft at that seat, so the visibility is not so good.”

Why window seats don’t line up with aircraft windows

When you fly with different airlines, there is no guarantee that the same window-seat alignment will feature on a subsequent flight. 

The same aircraft type can have different window and seat alignments depending on how an airline configures its cabin. 

How a carrier chooses to deploy premium seatings, galley space, toilets and the seat pitches afforded to each row can all impact how seats are aligned, while the windows themselves are fixed in place according to the aircraft type. 

As a result, a window seat on one airline’s aircraft may offer a view, while the equivalent seat on another carrier’s aircraft could have a missing window.

How to check if your window seat actually has a window 

Passengers can check their chances of getting a window by looking beyond the airline’s own seat map, which often does not depict the cabin, its seating rows and their alignment with the windows in any reliable detail.  

Services such as AeroLOPA and SeatMaps provide detailed aircraft layouts and, in some cases, show the position of individual windows relative to each seat. 

It is important to check the exact aircraft type and configuration, as layouts can vary between airlines and even between aircraft in the same fleet. 

Passenger reviews and photographs can also provide useful clues. 

Can you get compensation for a window seat without a window?

Some Ryanair passengers who have found themselves in a window seat without a window have reportedly asked for a discount or compensation, but this is not an option simply because the seat lacks a window. 

The bottom line is that a window seat does not guarantee an unobstructed view. And this makes it worthwhile checking a seat map before booking.

The issue has become the subject of legal action in the US, after passengers accused United Airlines and Delta Air Lines of selling window seats that did not actually have a window. 

The complaints, which cover aircraft including the Boeing 737 and 757 and Airbus A321, allege passengers were not adequately warned when booking. 

United argued that a window seat refers to its position against the cabin wall, rather than a guarantee of an outside view. 

However, a federal judge has allowed the case against United to proceed, finding that the airline’s booking information indicated passengers would receive a window seat.