JetBlue Faces $5 Million Lawsuit Over Seat Selection Allegations

A proposed class-action lawsuit has been filed against JetBlue Airways, alleging that a passenger paid more for a fare that included free seat selection even though no seat-selection options were available. 

California passenger Saman Kohanof paid $379 for a Blue fare in February for a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles. While the fare was advertised to include free seat selection, Kohanof claims that no seat-selection options were available. The lawsuit was filed on August 31 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Bait-and-switch?

The lawsuit centers on what JetBlue allegedly failed to disclose before customers purchased the higher fare.

The complaint states, “Only after JetBlue accepts payment and completes the transaction do purchasers discover.”

Kohanof argues that JetBlue had the information needed to inform customers during checkout. The complaint also alleges that JetBlue “controls the seat map presented to passengers” and can determine when a standard seat is unavailable for advance selection.

According to the lawsuit, “JetBlue instead assigned [Kohanof] a seat of its own choosing, without affording [him] any opportunity to select it — the same treatment JetBlue provides to purchasers of the lower-priced Blue Basic fare, which JetBlue expressly sells without free seat selection.”

Kohanof claims that he did not receive a refund or credit despite being unable to select his seat. He also claims that he wasn’t informed that no seat selection was available.

The lawsuit does not challenge the airline’s authority to withhold seats for operational reasons. Instead, it focuses on “JetBlue’s failure to provide the seat-selection opportunity it expressly sold as part of the Blue fare,” according to the court document. 

Potential Class Lawsuit

The complaint seeks damages exceeding $5 million on behalf of a proposed class that could include thousands of passengers.

JetBlue announced in July that it was replacing its Blue Basic and Blue fare labels with a new fare structure. Under the new fare structure, the airline now offers Main Base, Main and Main Flex options within its Main experience. Passengers who choose Main or Main Flex can select their seats, while Main Base does not offer seat selection.