Before paying extra for a prized window seat on your next flight, it might be worth checking whether it actually comes with a view.
It comes as a growing amount of passengers discover ‘window seats’ have no window at all – leaving travellers staring at a blank wall for the entire journey.
While this varies by airline and aircraft, it has left many passengers frustrated, particularly those who paid up to £13 for the premium spot.
Ryanair is among the few airlines that now notifies passengers during the booking process that seats 11A, 11F and 12F have no window – but this hasn’t stopped disappointed flyers from venting their frustrations online.
One Ryanair passenger, Hamilton Morroy, recently joked that she was ‘loving the view‘ from her windowless seat whilst sharing a photo of a cabin wall.
Another, Chelsea Deborah, demanded in an X post: ‘I paid for a window seat… and there was no window. I would like that money back. Thanks.’
One passenger even mocked up a fake window on their phone, declaring: ‘I’ve fitted a temporary one for this flight only! I’ll wait to hear back from you.’
Other major airlines, such as easyJet, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Norwegian are also guilty of offering windowless window seats to passengers who aren’t made aware whilst booking.
Daily Mail’s deputy travel editor, Hayley Minn, and her husband recently experienced the misfortune of sitting in a windowless window seat (30A) on a British Airways flight in August
Andrea Giulia, @.phaseone, posted a video last year about being on a Ryanair flight without a window
An American Airlines passenger has been left fuming after she realized her window seat had no window (pictured is the Reddit post)
According to Seat Guru, passengers flying with easyJet should avoid seats on 26A and 26F on A319 aircraft.
On British Airways, travellers should skip seats 22A, 22K, 37A, 37K on Boeing 777-300 aircraft, and 12A, 12K, 50A, 50K, 70A, 70K on the Airbus A380, along with seats 30A and 30F on A320neo planes.
Meanwhile, Norwegian passengers should steer clear of seats 10A, 11A, and 11F.
This missing windows are often due to cabin layouts designed by airlines, not the aircraft manufacturers themselves.
While Airbus and Boeing produce the planes, it is the airline that ultimately decides where seats go – including those varying in size and length – which can result in misalignment with the actual windows.
Passengers who find themselves in the unfortunate position of being seated in a windowless ‘window’ seat they had paid extra for are not entitled to compensation.
It comes as a major American airline is facing a class action lawsuit for selling seats without windows to plane passengers in California.
The lawsuit accuses United Airlines of misleading customers by advertising a window seat without a window being present – and charging passengers extra for it.
On British Airways, travellers should skip seats 22A, 22K, 37A, 37K on Boeing 777-300 aircraft, and 12A, 12K, 50A, 50K, 70A, 70K on the Airbus A380, along with seats 30A and 30F on A320neo planes
Norwegian passengers should steer clear of seats 10A, 11A , and 11F
The plaintiff claims the practice counts as false advertising and a violation of passenger rights.
They also demanded the airline compensate all California passengers who were forced to pay an extra fee for a windowless window seat in the past four years.
The issue with windowless seats being sold as window seats often arises from misaligned windows and cabin panels, as reported by Top Class Actions.
Many planes do not have windows installed in every row, most notably in seats that are located next to a cabin sidewall.
