Originally Posted by
LarryJ
The COS should book the extra seat.
If they don't, the gate agent should deal with the problem before boarding. The internal policy, which I can't post, suggests taking the COS onto the airplane before boarding to check if they need an additional seat. There is no wiggle room in the policy to allow the problem to be ignored.
If they don't, the F/A should identify the problem and get customer service back on board to handle it.
If they don't, the last line of defense is the impacted passenger(s) seated next to the COS. It shouldn't get to this point but, if it does, they are the only ones who can make sure it gets fixed. They should bring it to an F/As attention that the COS is in violation with the airline's policy and ask for it to be resolved. If the F/A can't, or won't, then ask for the CRO. As I posted above, the airline is required to make a CRO available when requested.
Thanks, Larry, for your helpful explanations and links. I suspect in most cases this is how it gets handled and we don't even know, but we fly enough that occassionally we end up in an uncomfortable situation where all of those steps broke down.
If airlines spend so much time ensuring carry-ons fit in 22" bag sizers and charge hefty fees for overweight bags, it is refreshing to know that there is a policy to follow regarding this issue.