United Airlines must face lawsuit over 'window seats' that lack windows

Passengers say they paid extra for outside views but were seated beside blank cabin walls instead

A federal judge on Monday rejected United Airlines' bid to dismiss a lawsuit by passengers who complained they paid extra money to sit in window seats - only to discover their seats had no actual windows.

US district judge James Donato in San Francisco rejected United's defense that window" referred to the location of a seat relative to the cabin wall and aisle, and the carrier also contended it never contractually promised that seats in the window position would have views outside.