Judge denies United bid to toss window-seat lawsuit

A federal judge refused United Airlines’ bid to end a proposed class action accusing the carrier of charging extra for “window” seats that sometimes had no window at all, leaving the airline facing claims from more than 1 million passengers per carrier and millions of dollars in potential damages.

U.S. District Judge James Donato in San Francisco denied United’s motion to dismiss on July 6, 2026, allowing the case brought by Marc Brenman of San Francisco and Aviva Copaken of Los Angeles to move forward. The suit, led by Greenbaum Olbrantz, says United sold seats labeled as window seats even when those seats were pressed against a blank wall and the airline did not clearly disclose that fact during booking.

The suit concerns seats on Boeing 737, Boeing 757 and Airbus A321 aircraft, where exterior positions can lack windows because of air conditioning ducts, electrical conduits and other components. Passengers often pay for window seats for very specific reasons: fear of flying, motion sickness, keeping children occupied, extra light or the view outside. The complaint says that makes the label material, not cosmetic, and argues that customers paid extra for a feature United did not deliver.

Donato rejected United’s argument that “window” merely described a seat’s place next to the cabin wall and aisle, and he also turned aside the airline’s Airline Deregulation Act preemption defense. In allowing the breach-of-contract claims to proceed, the judge cited United reservation screens and ticket language that expressly stated a window seat had been purchased.

United said it updated its seat-selection process in 2025 to provide more detail about what customers can expect when they choose a seat. The airline declined to comment on the ruling itself.

A similar proposed class action against Delta Air Lines, brought by the same law firm, is pending in federal court in Brooklyn, where a discovery status hearing is set for July 14, 2026.