Major US airlines Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are facing class-action lawsuits after passengers allege they paid extra for "window seats" that turned out to be next to walls.

The lawsuit against United was filed in San Francisco in early August, while Delta's case is in Brooklyn, New York. Both lawsuits seek millions of USD in damages, potentially affecting over one million passengers.

A United Airlines aircraft at Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey, in January. Photo: Reuters

A United Airlines aircraft at Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey, in January. Photo: Reuters

According to the plaintiffs, certain Boeing 737, Boeing 757, and Airbus A321 aircraft have window seat locations that are covered due to technical installations. Unlike Alaska Airlines or American Airlines, Delta and United do not inform passengers of this during booking, despite charging tens to hundreds of USD extra for these seats.

"If passengers had known there was no window, they certainly wouldn't have chosen these seats, let alone paid extra," the lawsuits state.

Many passengers select window seats to alleviate flight anxiety, entertain children, or simply enjoy the view. Being assigned a "windowless window seat" leaves them feeling deceived.

Neither airline has commented on the situation.

The lawsuit against Delta is led by Nicholas Meyer of Brooklyn, while the United lawsuit is spearheaded by Marc Brenman of San Francisco and Aviva Copaken of Los Angeles. Copaken stated that United refunded her for two flights with "windowless window seats" but refused a refund for a third.

According to attorney Carter Greenbaum, businesses cannot sell misrepresented products and then blame customers for not researching elsewhere.

Anh Minh (Reuters)