3Cforme

Let's roll the clock back to March 2006. Wait for it...

Northwest Coach Choice, payment for what may simply have been a regular aisle seat.

cottonpatch

While I will agree that the revenue management to the extreme is defensible, it doesn't mean that I have to like it. I don't like the trend that flying is taking considering the capacity reductions and load factors that have resulted. More power to DL and the other airlines for sticking it out. I think we will all feel like ham sandwiches (elite medallions included) if DL doesn't get some real competition.

My exposure to preferred seat monetization yesterday was tangential but it was a real reduction of what was formerly a medallion privilege and it was provoked by preferred seat monetization. I now know better about what might occur and I will "Improvise, Adapt and Overcome" due to my education I received. Most importantly, my expectations have changed. It happens a lot with regards to travelling these days.

xliioper

Guess I'm missing something. Prior to offering preferred seats for sale, non-status pax were not able to select tham at all. How does this change things? They had no choice but to play gate lottery to try to get seats together.

T.J. Bender

The difference was that the OP and his family were seated together until DL moved them to a later flight, with only preferred seats open. DL absolutely should have stepped up to the plate and at least put the 5-year-old with a parent, regardless of where that put them on the plane.

As davetravels said, if claiming claustrophobia was accepted by the airlines as reason to move someone to a better seat free of charge, you'd see a ton of infrequent flyers "come down with it" as soon as they realized that half of the preferred seats were open, but they were limited to the scattered middle seats open in the back half of the plane.

davetravels

Perhaps you could reread my post and point out any criticism.

When I replied to the OP, the spell checker underlined the error in red. Instead of having bad spelling in my post, I merely checked it on dictionary.com, and copied and pasted the correct one.

Thank you for your time.

xliioper

I was more responding to the the general assertion that preferred seat monetization creates new issues that didn't already exist (being able to find seats together on full flights where there are most or all of the remaining seats are preferred). It seems to me that this issue already existed when non-status pax were unable to select preferred seats at all prior to gate release.

Indp246

I acutually used to work schedule change queues and got to call all the people when we couldn't get a schedule that was within two hours of original booked flights. I know they occur I was checking every week, but also haveing worked for the airlines before most major schedule changes occur more than 3 months from departure date unless they have a system wide change which happens almost quarterly, so yes I had stopped checking it weekly and have checked it every two weeks. That was my fault.
I have selected the scattered seats throughout the plane to make sure we have assigned seat before boarding. It was never about seats I liked... I just wanted to make sure we where seated at least in a two and two so one of use could sit with each child.
I called this morning and asked about the particular flight I was worried about, the cx flight to MEM, it is in fact overbook. I did change the protection flight to one that works better for us.

waltinsocal

I agree with the above posters that "anxiety attacks" and "claustrophobia" probably won't, and shouldn't help you in this case.

However, may I make another suggestion? I have worked in the ER for many years. Many times we have to send a patient for a CT scan, or an MRI. The MRIs can be lengthy. Many, many people have anxiety or claustrophobia and cannot remain still for the tests. The solution is simple, we provide them with a very small dose of something to "chill" them out a bit. It could be a small dose of Ativan Xanax, or Valium. These drugs are available in pill form from your MD.

In addition to your family, many other people have similar issues with flying, and your PMD will gladly provide your family members with a small dose of something to help them relax on the flight. Before the flight, go to your MD's office and get a prescription for the appropriate med. That will solve your problem. Now, please, if you come back and give an excuse like "they don't like to take medicine", then they will just have to suck it up. And no, they will not become a drug addict either by taking one infrequent dose of something to help them fly. If they truly have "anxiety" and "claustrophobia", why make them suffer on a flight that should be fun?

T.J. Bender

Ah, yes, in that manner, you're absolutely right. The problem would have occurred either way, only now, the OP has a shot at paying $29 to make sure at least one family member is with the five-year-old, whereas in the past, they'd have been completely stuck.

I still think DL should step up to the plate here and put at least the five-year-old in a preferred seat next to a parent. Considering that it was an eqp swap, and those happen, they may not have to move anyone, but considering the circumstances, it would certainly be the better business move.

Typically, though, I've found that when a parent and child are separated, someone is willing to move to accommodate them.

OHDL1

..."we can't assign you together because our youngest is old enough to fly unaccompanied (5)"

Ummm...no he isn't old enough to fly unaccompanied.....15 yes...5 no.
Tell'em to try again....

cottonpatch

From what I can tell, the age to fly unaccompanied begins at 5. Looks like the youngest in this case was old enough to fly unaccompanied. Of course, it might make for a less than enjoyable flight for the passenger seated next to him/her. No I'm not saying this child would be a problem, but........I imagine some parents might like this arrangement of setting the young ones up next to somebody else.

revreggae

DL should have put the 5 year old with one of the parents.

That said, OP certainly has read the Contract of Carriage, Rule 240 A "Delta may change seat assignments...Delta will have no liability for... changing seat assignments..."

HookemHorns

Speaking with insight to the doc side of the house, medication is a last resort. There's much less liability in writing a note forcing ADA compliance.

I've been in the OP's situation a number of times on DL (yes, my fault that I don't check my seating assignments every hour until I board ), and I have to agree that the premium seating is making a total mess of things. I know the contract of carriage says they have no liability for seat assignment changes, but seriously, is it really going to hurt anyone if they dip into premium inventory to give the OP 2+2?

daregale

I actually see this new situation as worse for families without status. While they wouldn't have been able to select a premium seat before, no one else could either, so they were more likely to have greater flexibility in seat selection when the seats opened up to general passengers. Now, because some people are playing into Delta's money-maker, there are fewer seats left to choose. Why should the family have to pay to select new seats after they were separated by the airline after a schedule change? What the original poster is asking for is perfectly reasonable.

Nick207

+1, I always tell family members to go see their GP and ask for some Xanax/Valium whenever they get apprehensive about long international flights. I've never heard of one saying, "no". I have both in my wilderness medical kit, along with a variety of painkillers and other drugs, all obtained in the same fashion.