I am the original poster and returned yesterday from my trip. I did not feel like spending my time away responding to posts on this forum and did not look at it until the day after my return. I had no idea there would be such a strong response to what I wrote and that it would appear that I had merely posted and ran. Of course, I am delighted to hear all the responses, especially from those who see my point. What more would anyone want me to say, though? It sounds like people got the drift and feel as I do that the airlines need us to let them know of our dissatisfaction. To be treated as a freeloader when using FF tickets is not right. If difficulties arise, even if the airlines claim it is not their fault, if they can resolve the difficulties by using empty seats which would otherwise go unused, as in my case, and they should do it without a fuss.

P.S. .. The gate agent who had dealt with me was a prince of a guy. He worked the boarding process and multi-tasked quite easily and did so with professional cool. He tried his best to get me what I wanted in rebooking, but did not have the power to do more. I wrote Delta a letter complimenting him and I wrote them a separate letter letting them know of my dissatisfaction. The responses I got were typical generic ones.

On my return trip, I had more trouble, but it had nothing to do with FF miles. The agent switched my exit row seat at the last minute after misunderstanding a request to be moved made by someone with my same last name. I only found this out right before boarding, even though my boarding pass had the correct seat. I had to fight - yes, yell and argue adamantly with supervisors for 15 minutes - to get what I rightly deserved. They were telling me that exit rows have no more leg room and bulkhead seats are better (with walls in front of your toes . . . sure.) Ultimately, they had to ask the passenger to whom they had just mistakenly given my seat to vacate it. I learned later that he had fought hard to retain it until someone else volunteered to move. My flight was excellent after that, other than having been made late for refueling stop due to Delta's unwillingness to fix a hydraulic light problem in a foreign city. They are truly tight for money and the result is delays.