This was published 5 years ago
Where's my window? How to avoid the windowless window seat on a plane
By Oliver Smith
Not what you paid for: The windowless window seat.Credit: Twitter/@Hayder_alKhoei
Do you prefer a window seat when you fly? Many people, including myself, do, and some will even pay extra to ensure they have a view. After all, the world can look pretty spectacular from 35,000 feet.
But what if your "window seat" turns out to be nothing of the sort – a claustrophobic corner with a view of absolutely zilch?
That's the situation I found myself in on a Ryanair flight to Venice last summer.
Being a savvy traveller, I usually steer well clear of the airline's "optional" charges and as I was flying solo I saw no reason to pay extra to choose my seat.
A couple of days before departure, I checked in for my flight and was automatically assigned a seat number. It was 11A, a window seat. My favourite. I looked forward to grandstand views of the Alps and the Venetian Lagoon (well, sort of, Ryanair's flights to Venice actually land in Treviso, around 20 miles inland).
Fat chance. My view for the duration of the two-hour journey consisted of a white plastic wall panel. A very nice wall panel, it was. Fire resistant. Clean and shiny. But a wall panel nonetheless. That's because 11A, on every single Ryanair plane (it only flies one model, the Boeing 737-800), has no window. Nor do 11F and 12F, on the opposite side of the aircraft. They are window seats without the fundamental feature that makes them window seats.
How does Ryanair get away with it? Surely some sort of refund is in order? Apparently not. A seat is a seat, appears to be the airline's philosophy. And, I would later discover, those who do pay to choose their seat are warned. "This seat has no window," says a small pop-up box when you hover over the offending chairs on the website.
Bizarrely, Ryanair even tries to make a virtue of the window's absence. Its website lists "Seven Seat Hacks You Need To Know Now", including, at number five, "When You Want to… Catch Some Zzzzzs".
"Red-eye warrior? Not a lot of people realise that seat 11A has no window, meaning it's the perfect seat if you're planning to catch up on some zzzs during a morning flight," reckons Ryanair. "This seat is also a little life-saver late at night when you've spent the day travelling and all you want is a few minutes of shut-eye."
Other "hacks" include paying for an extra legroom seat if you want extra legroom. Brilliant.
I'm not the first to be shocked by the secret concealed in row 11. There's even a hashtag, #wheresmywindow.
And Twitter is flooded with tales. Some fliers are outraged, others are philosophical. But none can expect any compensation for their suffering. In fact, legally speaking, there is nothing compelling airlines to pay up when things go wrong on board – whether that means a busted monitor, a broken seat, a shortage of food or an overflowing toilet.
The window quirk is a result of cabin layouts and differs from aircraft to aircraft and airline to airline.
We asked the world's two largest aircraft manufacturers, Airbus and Boeing, to ask if they had any control over whether all the window seats actually had windows.
Airbus said it's down to the airlines as they "are the ones with seating maps for their specific cabin products", while Boeing added that each carrier kits out their own planes and that is where "the decision on interior layout… are made".
So which are the seats to avoid with other carriers?
Norwegian's 737s have the same issue (avoid seats 10A, 11A and 11F), as does American Airlines' (steer clear of 12A and 12F).
But if you fly with easyJet, the windowless perches are at the back, rather than in the middle. Seat 31A, to be precise, for those on its A320 aircraft, and seat 26A and 26F on its A319s.
It isn't just budget carriers affected. BA's A380s have a clutch of window seats with restricted or non-existent views: 70A and 70K, in economy, as well as 12A, 12K, 50A and 50K in Club World. Yes, even premium passengers aren't immune.
The best advice is to consult the website SeatGuru before you buy – and watch out for warnings during the booking process. Unless you like staring at plastic wall panels.
The Telegraph, London
See also: When an aisle seat is not an aisle seat
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