Ever been in this scenario? You board the plane, eager to settle into the window seat you paid extra for, only to find a flat wall panel where the window should be. Whether you hoped choosing a window seat would help with motion sickness, or wanted to take photos and simply gaze out at the scenery below, a missing window can change your whole flight experience. Here’s why this happens — and why two airlines are facing lawsuits from passengers who say they were charged for a window seat they never got.

Why Are Some Window Seats Windowless?

Most window seats have windows, but not all do — a detail many people, even frequent travelers, probably don’t think about when picking a seat. There are a couple of reasons why this happens.

One is equipment installation. Alaska Airlines addresses this issue on its website. As John Melvin, Alaska’s director of fleet engineering explained, Boeing (which manufactures the carrier’s fleet of 737s) runs air-conditioning ducts through the wall panels on the left side of the plane, which can occupy the space where a window would normally go.

“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,” Melvin explained.

Another reason is aircraft customization. Airlines often adjust seating layouts to fit more rows to boost their profits. Seat pitch (the distance between rows) has shrunk from around 35 inches in the late 1970s to around 30 to 31 inches on legacy carriers today — and as low as 28 inches on some budget carriers.

As rows get pushed closer together, seats shift out of alignment with fixed window positions. Some rows end up with a partial window view, while a handful end up with no window at all. The seats themselves can be rearranged, but the windows can’t since they’re fixed in position in the airframe. That’s why you could book a window seat only to end up with a boring side panel view.

Two Airlines Are Being Sued for Selling Windowless Window Seats

If you’ve ever experienced the disappointment of discovering your window seat doesn’t have a window, there are two lawsuits worth paying attention to.

In August 2025, travelers filed separate lawsuits against Delta and United. Both allege the airlines charged extra for seats labeled as window seats that didn’t actually have windows, without disclosing it during booking. Each lawsuit covers more than 1 million passengers, and both cases are active in court. 

On July 6, 2026, U.S. District Court Judge James Donato of the Northern District of California denied United’s motion to dismiss. United had argued that “window” refers to the seat’s position relative to the cabin wall. The judge rejected that, noting that the airline’s booking screens and boarding passes, which labeled the seats as window seats, were enough to establish a plausible breach-of-contract claim.

Afar reported that, while United declined to comment on the litigation, its media team said it had updated its seat selection process in 2025.

“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 in a statement to Afar.

No matter what happens with the lawsuits, airlines may start adding clearer labels and providing disclaimers when a window seat doesn’t have a window. While that would be helpful for travelers, airlines may also update their contracts of carriage to limit their liability, a common practice after facing lawsuits. With limited consumer airline protections, there’s not much travelers can do about it.

How To Avoid a Windowless Window Seat

The first step is to take extra care when reviewing the airline’s seat map and selection screen. For example, when choosing seat 11A on United’s Boeing 737-9 MAX, a pop-up now appears that warns you there is no window at that seat. You can also cross-reference with third-party tools, like AeroLOPA, which has detailed cabin seat maps by aircraft.

Depending on the aircraft, there are certain problem rows to avoid. On Boeing 737s and Airbus A321s, avoid rows just ahead of the wings on the plane’s left side. This is also a known issue for select Boeing 757-200 configurations.

What To Do if It Happens to You

What if you end up with a windowless seat anyway? If the flight isn’t fully booked, consider asking a flight attendant to be seated elsewhere. But if that’s not an option, you can contact the airline after your flight and ask for a refund on any seat selection fees that you paid. Have a copy of your receipt and a photo of the windowless wall ready to show as proof. Unfortunately, due to a lack of consumer protections, you may be out of luck if the airline refuses to offer a refund, but some passengers have reported receiving bonus frequent flyer miles for the inconvenience.