I don't fly a ton, and I'm young, but when my family and I are traveling, I always manage everything. My family basically treats me as their travel agent, and I only turned 13 a couple weeks ago. I've booked our last couple trips myself, and I just love to travel. I'm not a frequent flier like all of you guys, I have about 35,000 Aeroplan miles which is not bad at all for my age, but I'm no frequent flier. However, I must share with you a small story about some irritating flights I've been on because of the passengers behind me.

In July, my father and I ventured to Newfoundland to see some family. We were on our way back home to YYC (YYT-YYC via YYZ). The connection in YYZ was rather painful, as I had an incredibly bad headache and just wanted to sleep. That's why I was looking forward to just getting to sit in a quiet plane (320) in my window seat, turn the IFE screen off, lean my head on the wall and drift off in to some poor quality sleep.

As my father and I board the aircraft and go to our seats, (22A for me, 22C for father dearest), we discover they've been taken. Apparently, this small family(dad, mother, and a child of probably 4 years) had checked in quite late in the game, and did not pay to reserve seats, as we had. The father had been placed ahead a few rows, and I believe the child was seated in 22B, with the mother across the aisle, in 22D. The family just decided to take 22ABC. Apperently, there were a few other seating mishaps, and it seemed like only one F/A was dealing with them. She was basically running up and down the aisle trying to place people. In the end, I was placed in 25B, my dad in 25C, and a different man placed in 25A. I volunteered my window seat for him, and was stuck in the middle. He moved a row ahead and got a window seat again, and he was thanked by the flight attendant for his cooperation, and was given an Onboard Cafe meal voucher. Me and my father were not thanked at all, nor given any meal voucher. I found this to be slightly off, but I can definitely understand parents not wanting to be separated from their small children, so I was fine with switching seats.