Passengers have already successfully sued Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. They sue the airlines for fraud because the airlines tricked them into purchasing overpriced window seats that didn’t even give a real view. The lawsuits specifically name the two largest U.S. carriers, taking aim at how they failed customers. Instead of contemplating beautiful vistas, travelers had to sit down next to the back of a wall.
The cases followed demands from thousands of passengers who expressed their frustration at being assigned the wrong seat. After all, they paid a huge premium for the sexy window seat. They soon realized they were not going to have a single window. This has prompted concern over the airlines’ deceptive marketing practices and lack of transparency when it comes to offering seat assignments.
The lawsuits seek millions of dollars in damages. They want to pay back more than a million customers who purchased deceptive window seat tickets from Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. The plaintiffs allege that the airlines engaged in false or misleading acts. They marketed these seats as ‘window seats’ when in fact they weren’t.
As this litigation progresses, it’s still an open question how the courts will come out on these claims. Constitutional legal scholars believe that the courts could be an important check on that power. Whether the airlines’ marketing represents false advertising or proper business behavior could be between them.
Though Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have publicly spoken about the lawsuits, they have not responded. But as we’ve noted, both carriers are going through a rather significant uptick in public irritation directed at their pricing practices and seat selection. The allegations are a symptom of a deeper issue that has been plaguing the airline industry for years—eroding consumer rights and transparency.