What Is the United Airlines Window Seat Lawsuit?
The United Airlines window seat lawsuit is a proposed nationwide class action over window seats that have no window. The case is Brenman v. United Airlines, Inc., filed on August 19, 2025 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
The plaintiffs say United sold "window" seats for an extra fee that sat next to a solid cabin wall. They allege breach of contract, and they ask the court to certify a nationwide class and a California subclass.
United is the sole defendant, and the court has not certified any class. A separate lawsuit against Delta Air Lines makes similar allegations and is covered in the comparison section below.
“In this putative class action, plaintiff Marc Brenman says defendant United Airlines breached its contracts by selling Brenman a window seat that didn’t have a window.”
Source: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Brenman v. United Airlines, Inc., Case No. 25-cv-06995-JD, Order Re Motion to Dismiss, Document 66 (July 6, 2026)
Why Was the United Airlines Window Seat Lawsuit Filed?
The United Airlines window seat lawsuit was filed because passengers say they paid extra for seats with no window. The amended complaint says some Boeing 737 and Airbus A321 rows have air conditioning ducts where a window would sit.
The complaint says United still labeled those seats "window" when passengers chose them. It also says the boarding pass repeated the words "Window Seat."
The plaintiffs say competitors such as American Airlines and Alaska Airlines warn passengers about these seats during booking. They say United began showing "No Window" on some seats only after the lawsuit was filed.
United says it added more detail to its seat selection process in 2025. The complaint's allegations are unproven, and United disputes that "window" promises a view outside.
What Harms Does the United Airlines Window Seat Lawsuit Allege?
The United Airlines window seat lawsuit alleges three harms, all of them financial rather than physical. The plaintiffs plead only contract-based claims.
The three harms below come from the named plaintiffs' own accounts in the amended complaint. Each remains an allegation that a court has not decided.
Extra Fees for a Window Seat
A seat selection fee is a charge, on top of the base fare, to choose a particular seat.
The plaintiffs say they paid seat selection fees because the booking screen described their seats as "window" seats. The complaint gives one example: seat 11A on a Boeing 737-900, offered as a $44.99 Window Preferred Seat plus tax.
The complaint says plaintiff Aviva Copaken paid between $45.99 and $169.99 per seat. Plaintiff Sean Minyard says he paid $52.99 for a preferred section seat after his seat changed.
Miles and Card Benefits Spent
Loyalty miles and card benefits are rewards a traveler can redeem toward travel purchases such as seat selection.
Plaintiff Marc Brenman says he often uses benefits from his United credit card to pick window seats. The complaint says United offered him 7,500 miles after he complained.
Plaintiff Cindy Pawlowski says she used card benefits to select seats in 2023 and 2024. She says two of her window seats had no window, and United issued no refund.
Partial or Denied Refunds
A refund is the return of money paid for a service that a customer says was not delivered as described.
The complaint says United's remedies were uneven. Plaintiff Robert Monroe says United gave him 5,000 miles and refunded none of his fees.
Minyard says United returned the $52.99 preferred seat fee but not his upgrade from Basic Economy. Copaken says she received only partial refunds. The plaintiffs say these offers did not match what they paid.
What Is the Current Status of the United Airlines Window Seat Lawsuit?
The current status of the United Airlines window seat lawsuit is active discovery after United lost its motion to dismiss. The court has not ruled on class certification.
The last docket entries reviewed, dated October 12, 2026, were discovery letter briefs. Their contents are partly sealed.
Brenman v. United Airlines, Inc.
Judge James Donato presides over the San Francisco case. On July 6, 2026 he denied United's motion to dismiss the first amended complaint in Document 66.
The order held that the Airline Deregulation Act does not preempt contract claims based on an airline's own promises. It also found the claims plausibly alleged, and it called the meaning of "window seat" a question of fact.
| Court | U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, San Francisco |
| Case Number | 3:25-cv-06995-JD |
| Judge | District Judge James Donato (reassigned on August 21, 2025 from Magistrate Judge Peter H. Kang) |
| Filed | August 19, 2025 (first amended complaint October 15, 2025) |
| Defendant | United Airlines, Inc. |
| Current Named Plaintiffs | Marc Brenman, Robert Monroe and Cindy Pawlowski |
| Dismissed Plaintiffs | Aviva Copaken (July 17, 2026) and Sean Minyard (individual claims, August 11, 2026) |
| Claims Pleaded | Breach of contract (two counts), breach of implied contract, promissory estoppel |
| Proposed Classes | A nationwide class and a California subclass of passengers who paid extra for a window seat and received a windowless one |
| Plaintiffs' Counsel | Greenbaum Olbrantz LLP |
| Class Certification | No motion for class certification appears on the docket as of October 12, 2026 |
| Scheduling Order | Fact discovery to close September 3, 2026; expert discovery November 25, 2026; motions due June 25, 2027; final pretrial conference September 30, 2027 |
| Trial | Jury trial set for October 18, 2027 |
| Current Stage | Discovery, including disputes over document production and electronic data |
The court denied a stipulated request to change the schedule on June 5, 2026. Discovery letter briefs nonetheless continued through October 2026, so these dates may have moved since the order was issued.
Has United Airlines Settled the Window Seat Lawsuit?
No. United Airlines has not settled the window seat lawsuit, and the sources reviewed show no settlement agreement or announced payout.
The plaintiffs seek compensatory damages in an amount to be determined at trial, and no court has awarded any amount. Only a court order or an approved settlement can set what a passenger might receive.
News coverage describes the damages sought as millions of dollars for more than one million passengers. The complaint pleads an amount in controversy above $5,000,000. That is a jurisdictional threshold, not an estimate of value.
The court refused a magistrate settlement conference on December 2, 2025. It told the parties to name a private mediator, and the parties filed that designation on December 9, 2025. The docket does not show whether mediation took place.
Any recovery by absent class members would require class certification first. The court has not been asked to rule on that question, and a passenger does not need to file anything now.
Latest United Airlines Window Seat Lawsuit Updates
The latest United Airlines Window Seat lawsuit updates and news, including new filings, rulings, and case-count reports, are tracked below as they're confirmed. As of October 2026, the United Airlines window seat class action remains in active pretrial litigation with no settlement announced. The full timeline below covers every verified development since the first case was filed.
United Airlines Window Seat Lawsuit Timeline
United begins charging fees to choose seats
The court's order says United started charging seat selection fees in 2017 and set higher fees for more desirable seats. The plaintiffs' case rests on those fees.
Passengers sue United in San Francisco federal court
Marc Brenman and Aviva Copaken filed Brenman v. United Airlines, Inc., No. 3:25-cv-06995, in the Northern District of California. Their lawyers filed the Delta suit in Brooklyn on the same day.
Judge Donato takes over the United case
The clerk reassigned Brenman v. United Airlines to District Judge James Donato. Magistrate Judge Peter H. Kang no longer presided over the case.
United files its first motion to dismiss
United moved to dismiss the original complaint and attached its Contract of Carriage. The court set a hearing for November 6, 2025.
Delta passengers amend their Brooklyn complaint
In the Delta case, No. 1:25-cv-04608 in the Eastern District of New York, four plaintiffs filed an amended complaint. Judge Ramon E. Reyes Jr. oversees that separate case.
Plaintiffs file an amended complaint adding three passengers
The first amended complaint added Sean Minyard, Robert Monroe and Cindy Pawlowski as plaintiffs. It pleaded four counts and proposed a nationwide class and a California subclass.
United withdraws its first motion
United gave notice that it was withdrawing the October motion to dismiss. The court terminated the motion on October 31 and let United attack the amended complaint instead.
United asks the court to dismiss the amended complaint
United argued that "window" describes a seat's position next to the cabin wall and does not promise a view. It also argued that federal law preempts the claims.
Judge Donato sets a trial date for October 2027
The case management scheduling order closed fact discovery on September 3, 2026 and set jury selection for October 18, 2027.
Court denies a settlement conference and orders a private mediator
Judge Donato refused the parties' request for a settlement conference before a magistrate judge. He told them to designate a private mediator by December 9, 2025.
Judge Donato decides the motion on the papers
The court vacated the January 22 hearing on United's motion to dismiss. It submitted the motion on the written briefs.
Nicholas Meyer leaves the Delta case
Meyer, the original lead plaintiff against Delta, voluntarily dismissed his own claims. The case continues as Bernardo v. Delta Air Lines with three plaintiffs.
Court orders United to produce "partial window" seat documents
The order covered documents about partial window seats and bundled seat selection fees, due June 15, 2026. It limited a broader request for every document that mentions a window as unduly burdensome.
Court rejects a stipulated change to the schedule
Judge Donato denied the parties' joint request to modify the November 2025 scheduling order.
Judge Donato denies United's motion to dismiss
Document 66 held that the Airline Deregulation Act does not preempt claims based on United's own contract. It found that the boarding pass and reservation screens plausibly promised a window seat.
Aviva Copaken drops her individual claims
Copaken filed a notice of voluntary dismissal, which left Brenman, Minyard, Monroe and Pawlowski as plaintiffs. The notice did not end the case for the others.
United answers the amended complaint
United filed its answer to the first amended complaint twelve days after the dismissal ruling. The answer is the airline's formal response to the allegations.
Judge Donato bars discovery into passengers' seat preferences
The court denied United's motion to compel because every claim sounds in contract. It called discovery into plaintiffs' physical and psychological states, travel history and seat preferences irrelevant and invasive.
Sean Minyard dismisses his individual claims
Minyard filed a stipulation of voluntary dismissal of his individual claims. Brenman, Monroe and Pawlowski remained as named plaintiffs.
Delta court extends discovery into 2027
Magistrate Judge Seth D. Eichenholtz set a December 22, 2026 deadline for fact discovery in the Delta case. All discovery must finish by March 5, 2027.
Court refuses forensic imaging of plaintiffs' devices
United sought forensic copies of the plaintiffs' devices. Judge Donato ruled that request was not proportional to the needs of the case and denied the rest of the dispute.
Parties file the latest discovery letter briefs
Two more filings reached the docket, a discovery letter brief and a response to a motion. The docket entries reviewed do not show a ruling on them or a class certification motion.
What Records Support a United Airlines Window Seat Lawsuit Claim?
Records that support a United Airlines window seat lawsuit claim are booking screens, boarding passes and receipts showing a paid window seat. The amended complaint relies on screenshots of the seat map and of the boarding pass.
The complaint also points to the fee, any miles or card benefits used, and any refund United offered. A photo of the wall beside the seat appears in the complaint as well.
This page does not tell any passenger to take a step. The court has not certified a class, and only a qualified attorney can say whether a particular ticket would matter.
What Did United Airlines Allegedly Know About Windowless Window Seats?
United Airlines allegedly knew about windowless window seats, according to the complaint, and no court has found that to be true. The complaint says United received many passenger complaints about the practice.
It quotes a 2017 reply to a passenger that said United never guaranteed a window. It also quotes a later reply that said some seats may be labeled "window" based on aircraft layout. United disputes the plaintiffs' reading of its conduct.
The plaintiffs say United's booking software could have flagged these seats, as American and Alaska do. They also say United changed some seat map labels to "No Window" after the lawsuit was filed.
| Issue | What the plaintiffs say | What United has said |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of "window seat" | A window seat has an exterior window | The word "window" identifies a position next to the cabin wall |
| The contract | Boarding passes and booking screens promised a window seat | The Contract of Carriage does not promise an outside view |
| Federal law | Contract claims over a self-imposed promise can proceed | The Airline Deregulation Act preempts the claims |
| Seat selection process | United changed labels only after the lawsuit | United says it added more detail in 2025 |
Judge Donato rejected the preemption argument in July 2026 and called the meaning of "window seat" a factual question for later.
How Does the United Airlines Window Seat Lawsuit Compare to the Delta Case?
The United Airlines window seat lawsuit mirrors the Delta case in its claims but differs in court, judge and posture. The same law firm filed both complaints on August 19, 2025.
The two cases are separate, and a ruling in one does not bind the other.
| Detail | United Airlines case | Delta Air Lines case |
|---|---|---|
| Case name | Brenman v. United Airlines, Inc. | Bernardo v. Delta Air Lines, Inc. (filed as Meyer v. Delta Air Lines, Inc.) |
| Court and number | N.D. Cal., No. 3:25-cv-06995-JD | E.D.N.Y., No. 1:25-cv-04608 |
| Judge | James Donato | Ramon E. Reyes Jr., with Magistrate Judge Seth D. Eichenholtz on discovery |
| Named plaintiffs now | Brenman, Monroe, Pawlowski | Bernardo, Roberts, Valentine |
| Motion to dismiss | Denied July 6, 2026 | Motion filed December 2025 and January 2026; no ruling in the entries reviewed |
| Discovery | Ongoing, with trial set for October 2027 | Fact discovery to December 22, 2026; all discovery to March 5, 2027 |
Both cases are proposed class actions, and neither court has certified a class. No settlement is reported in either case.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the United Airlines window seat lawsuit about?
The United Airlines window seat lawsuit is about seats sold as "window" seats that sit beside a blank cabin wall. The plaintiffs say United charged extra fees for them and breached its contracts. United disputes that "window" promises a view.
Is the United Airlines window seat lawsuit a class action?
The United Airlines window seat lawsuit is a proposed class action, and the court has not certified a class. The plaintiffs ask for a nationwide class and a California subclass, and no certification motion appears on the docket.
Did a judge dismiss the United Airlines window seat lawsuit?
No. Judge James Donato denied United's motion to dismiss the United Airlines window seat lawsuit on July 6, 2026. He rejected the preemption argument and found the contract claims plausibly alleged.
Has United Airlines settled the window seat lawsuit?
No. United Airlines has not settled the window seat lawsuit, and the sources reviewed show no settlement or payout. The court refused a magistrate settlement conference in December 2025 and told the parties to name a private mediator.
Can you join the United Airlines window seat lawsuit?
No claim form exists for the United Airlines window seat lawsuit. The court has not certified a class or approved a settlement. A passenger who thinks a seat applies can ask a qualified attorney about their own situation.
Why do some United window seats have no window?
Some United window seats have no window because of aircraft design. The amended complaint says air conditioning ducts block windows on certain Boeing 737 and Airbus A321 rows. News reports also name Boeing 757 planes.
Is the United window seat lawsuit the same as the Delta lawsuit?
No. The United window seat lawsuit and the Delta lawsuit are separate cases in different courts with different judges. Both make similar allegations, and the same law firm filed both on August 19, 2025.