{"id":157779,"date":"2026-09-16T05:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T23:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?p=157779"},"modified":"2026-09-16T02:32:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T21:02:19","slug":"jetblue-sued-after-passengers-paid-more-for-free-seats-that-werent-available","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/16\/jetblue-sued-after-passengers-paid-more-for-free-seats-that-werent-available\/","title":{"rendered":"JetBlue Sued After Passengers Paid More for Free Seats That Weren\u2019t Available"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

LONG ISLAND CITY-<\/strong> JetBlue Airways (B6)<\/a> is facing a proposed class action alleging that it sold higher-priced fares with free seat selection even when no qualifying seats were available. The case stems from a February booking involving Fort Lauderdale Airport (FLL) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lawsuit does not argue that JetBlue should provide every seat at no charge. Instead, plaintiff Saman Kohanof alleges that the airline should warn customers before payment when the advertised free seat-selection benefit cannot actually be used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: By Tim – JetBlue A220-300 arriving at BOS from flickr.com, CC0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=137486105<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

JetBlue Faces Class Action Over Free Seat Selection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Saman Kohanof filed a proposed class action against JetBlue Airways Corporation in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on August 31, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The case is Kohanof v. Jetblue Airways Corporation, No. 2:2026cv09701. The public docket identifies the matter as a contract case based on diversity jurisdiction and shows that the complaint was filed by Kohanof on August 31.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The complaint alleges that JetBlue could face at least $5 million in claimed damages and that the proposed class could include potentially thousands of passengers who paid for a fare advertised with free seat selection but allegedly could not use that benefit without paying an additional fee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dispute centers on how JetBlue presented two fare choices for the same flight at the time of Kohanof’s booking. The complaint says the JetBlue mobile app showed Blue Basic and Blue fares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blue Basic stated that free seat selection was not included, while the more expensive Blue fare listed free seat selection among its benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kohanof alleges that he specifically paid the higher Blue fare because he wanted to select a seat without paying another charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After completing the transaction, however, the complaint says that the seats available for free selection were shown as unavailable or grayed out on JetBlue’s seat-selection tool. According to the lawsuit, he would have needed to pay an additional fee to choose a seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kohanof’s complaint draws a clear line between paid seat selection and the alleged failure to disclose that a promised fare benefit was unavailable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plaintiff does not claim that every seat on an aircraft must be available for free. The complaint acknowledges that JetBlue can charge additional fees for more desirable seats and that there can be legitimate reasons why seats that were once available are no longer available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The alleged problem is different. Kohanof argues that JetBlue continued to market a more expensive fare with free seat selection even when no qualifying seat remained available for the particular flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That distinction forms the central consumer issue in the case. The allegation is that a customer could pay more because of an advertised benefit and only learn after completing the purchase that the benefit could not actually be exercised without another payment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"JetBlue
Photo: Cl\u00e9ment Alloing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

JetBlue\u2019s Reservation System Is Central to Claim<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The complaint argues that JetBlue has the information necessary to identify when its free seat-selection benefit is unavailable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the lawsuit, JetBlue controls the seat map shown to passengers and determines whether individual seats appear available, unavailable, occupied, blocked, restricted or otherwise incapable of advance selection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The complaint therefore argues that JetBlue’s reservation system can readily indicate whether a standard seat is available for advance selection on a particular flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on that allegation, Kohanof contends that JetBlue could warn customers before payment when the advertised free seat-selection benefit was no longer available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The legal theory does not depend on proving that JetBlue must make premium or otherwise paid seats free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, it focuses on whether the airline accurately communicates the availability of an included benefit before a customer commits to the higher fare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: Cl\u00e9ment Alloing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

JetBlue Has Since Changed Its Fare Names<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

JetBlue has since moved away from the Blue Basic and Blue fare labels used in the complaint’s underlying booking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The airline’s current fare structure uses Main Base, Main and Main Flex within its Main experience. JetBlue states that seat selection is not included with Main Base, while seat selection is included with Main and Main Flex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JetBlue also states that Main Base customers can purchase a seat for an additional fee and that seat selection is limited to available seats. Customers who do not purchase a seat with Main Base are assigned a seat before departure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The current fare information provides useful context, but it does not determine whether the specific conduct alleged in Kohanof’s lawsuit was unlawful. The pending case concerns the representations and booking experience described in the complaint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: By Anna Zvereva from Tallinn, Estonia – JetBlue Airways, N946JL, Airbus A321-231, CC BY-SA 2.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=41996034<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Timing of JetBlue\u2019s Disclosure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The complaint’s central concern is what customers are told before they pay compared with what they discover after payment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kohanof alleges that JetBlue displays free seat selection as a benefit during fare comparison, accepts payment for the higher fare and then allows the passenger to discover during seat selection that no seat covered by the advertised benefit is actually available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The complaint argues that this sequence prevents customers from making a fully informed comparison between fares. A customer who knows that no free seat remains could choose the lower fare, accept a seat assignment later or decide that paying for a seat is preferable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A customer who believes free seat selection is available could instead choose the more expensive fare based on information that the lawsuit says is incomplete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"JetBlue
Photo: JFK Spotting<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n