Delta Air Lines must face lawsuit over window seats without windows A federal judge in Brooklyn has rejected Delta Air Lines' request to dismiss a lawsuit from passengers who paid extra for window seats but sat next to windowless walls. A similar lawsuit against United Airlines is also moving forward. A federal judge in Brooklyn has rejected Delta Air Lines' request to dismiss a lawsuit brought by passengers who said they paid extra for window seats but found themselves seated next to windowless blank walls. The ruling, issued Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Ramon Reyes, allows the case to proceed. Reyes found a reasonable dispute over whether Delta's contract of carriage required the airline to provide actual window seats to passengers who paid for them. The contract states that the carrier does not offer tickets or contracts that guarantee particular seats. Reyes did not decide the merits of the lawsuit.Judge Allows Delta Lawsuit to ProceedThe proposed class action was filed in August 2025 by four disgruntled passengers. They found themselves seated next to walls on Boeing 737, Boeing 757 and Airbus A321 planes. According to the plaintiffs, the absence of windows next to their seats was not disclosed during the booking process. Passengers typically buy window seats to address fear of flying and motion sickness, keep children occupied, get more light, or take in the view, the plaintiffs said.Aircraft walls sometimes align with operating components, such as air conditioning ducts, leaving no window. Delta, based in Atlanta, argued that the inherent nature of airline operations should absolve it from guaranteeing seat assignments. The airline cited the periodic need to substitute planes with different seating arrangements. Delta declined to comment on Thursday, saying it does not discuss pending litigation.Passengers Paid Extra for Window SeatsCasey Olbrantz, a lawyer for the four Delta plaintiffs, called the decision a significant precedent in establishing that, despite federal deregulation, passengers can still hold airlines accountable when they do not get what they paid for. The lawsuit seeks millions of dollars in damages for more than 1 million passengers. A similar lawsuit against United Airlines is also moving forward. In July, a federal judge in San Francisco rejected United's bid to dismiss that case.That proposed class action also seeks millions of dollars in damages for more than 1 million passengers per carrier. The Delta case is being heard in Brooklyn, while the United case is in San Francisco. Both involve passengers who paid extra for window seats but were seated next to walls without windows. The rulings allow both cases to proceed.United Airlines Faces Similar CaseThe lawsuits argue that airlines should disclose when a window seat has no window. The plaintiffs claim they paid extra for a specific seat feature that was not provided. Delta's contract of carriage says it does not guarantee particular seats. Judge Reyes ruled that there is a reasonable dispute over whether Delta's contract required window seats.The ruling does not determine whether Delta is liable. The case will now continue in federal court in Brooklyn.