JetBlue faces lawsuit over unavailable free

A passenger has filed a class action lawsuit against JetBlue Airways, alleging the airline sells fares with a promised benefit it cannot deliver. The lawsuit, filed in a California district court by Saman Kohanof at the end of August, seeks at least $5 million in compensation for potentially thousands of passengers.

Kohanof encountered the issue on February 8 while booking a Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles flight via JetBlue's mobile app. He selected the more expensive 'Blue' fare, which was advertised as including free seat selection, over the 'Blue Basic' fare that explicitly excluded it. After payment, the seat map showed all standard seats required an additional fee to select.

The Core Allegation

The lawsuit does not contest JetBlue's right to charge extra for certain seats or that free seats can sell out. The central allegation is that JetBlue continues to market and sell the free seat selection benefit on its 'Blue' fare-and now its rebranded 'Main' and 'Main Flex' fares-when that specific perk is unavailable for a given flight. The complaint states JetBlue possesses real-time data on seat availability but fails to warn customers during the booking process.

"Only after JetBlue accepts payment and completes the transaction do purchasers discover, when they attempt to exercise the purchased benefit, that JetBlue makes no seat available to select without an additional charge," the filing alleges.

JetBlue's System Knowledge

The legal filing argues the airline's own systems make the practice avoidable. It states JetBlue controls the seat map and its reservation system can readily determine when no standard seat is available for free selection on a particular flight. With this information, the plaintiff believes JetBlue could and should provide a clear warning to customers before they complete a purchase for the more expensive fare.

This issue is not new to the carrier. According to the source report, a passenger submitted a complaint to the Better Business Bureau in December 2025 highlighting the identical problem. The lawsuit notes JetBlue failed to update its booking system to address the concern after that complaint.

A Previous Legal Defense

The lawsuit also references a separate legal case involving seat selection. In that instance, JetBlue's lawyers reportedly argued a passenger should have booked a 'Blue' fare to sit with their party, rather than the 'Blue Basic' fare they purchased. The new complaint points out that this defense is misleading because even the 'Blue' fare does not guarantee free seat selection will be available.

The case shows a friction point in the passenger journey at the booking stage. The fare structure and its associated benefits are presented as follows:

Saman Kohanof is seeking compensatory and benefit-of-the-bargain damages, as well as restitution, through the proposed class action. The exact number of potential claimants remains unclear.