jamesteroh

I had a weird thing happen yesterday. Flew LGA to DTW on flight 2231 and had an aisle exit confirmed. I booked the flight clear back in June so the seat map was wide opened and had no problem selecting the seat.

When they scanned my BP yesterday the reader beeped and I thought they were going to ask me about an exit row and I just said to the GA something to the effect that I realized I was sitting in the exit row and was fine with it. He told me to hold on and I noticed the readout said something like "passenger not cleared". He asked the other gate agent about it and she pulled up something on the gate computer and said my seat had been given away!!!! I told the GA I booked this flight almost two months ago and my BP clearly stated I was in the exit row. He said it was a completely full flight and he would try to get me a seat!!! He wanted to put me in the back in a middle seat and I said I wanted an aisle and if he couldn't accomodate me to get me a red coat and they wouldn't page a red coat for some reason (I have dealt with this GA before at LGA and he does seem to have an attitude problem and he is an acquired NW GA). The other GA managed to get me an aisle closer to the front in 21c. By the time I was able to get a BP they were already boarding towards the end of Zone 3. Luckilly I was able to get bin space with no problem. When we were able to use electronics in the air I got online and sent Delta an email complaining. I got back an automated response saying I should hear within ten days and not sure what, if anything ,they will do.

When I used the restroom during the flight I had to walk past where my assigned seat was and it was obvously a couple sitting together in 25D and E.

I am platnium, booked the flight in June, checked in at t-22 from my hotel and printed the BP which had seat 25D printed on it. I was at the airport in plenty of time as I wanted to try flying standby on on the 2:35 flight (I was told on the phone the flight was full when I tried to SDC but got a ride to the airport early and tried to standby and there no seats so after the flight boarded fuyll I went to the SC). At the SC I asked where I stood on the upgrade list for my flight and was told I was number 8 and First class had no available seats, so I knew I would never clear and stayed in the SC until about 3:20 for the 4 p.m. flight. The SC agent didn't mention anything about my seat being given away and I went into the SC around 2:30 after I was told by the GA on the 2:35 flight there was no way I was getting on asnd the boarding door had closed.

Why would have Delta given away my seat? Luckilly this was a short flight. My concern here is it will happen in the future on a long flight such as DTW to SFO ro LAX and I will get stuck in the back of the bus in a middle seat with a confirmed aile exit or worse get stuck with no seat on a full flight.

Also wondering if DL couldn't have gotten me on that flight if I would have been entitled to cashs for involuntarilly given up my seat since I was at the gate area with a confirmed seat and BP well before boarding even started.

One of the reasons I like being elite is the ability to have a confirmed exit row and to be able to board early for bing space (I almost always carry on).

Thomas Hudson

This may be part of the new Diamond SkyOveride Programme that allows Diamonds to pick any seat they want.

aulrik

I don't have any answer to your question, but the exact same has happened to me a couple of times on LH between Germany and the US. Pretty annoying to end up in a middle seat when you did select and got confirmed a much better seat beforehand.

jamesteroh

Will be interesting to see what, if anything, Delta says in their reply.

I would be furious if I was stuck in a middle seat international, when I had a confirmed exit row. I hope Delta compensated you nicely for that screw up. There is no excuse to move an elite from a premium confirmed seat to a middle seat on any flight, let alone an international.

avidflyer

This is a great perk when stuck in back ^

Xeno

One week ago, I was moved from 2C on a 763 ATL-JFK flight in October. The seatmap shows 2C and 2E now occupied and I was put in 3C.

I am not worried about this minor change on a short flight, but found it curious since this is one segment of a BE ticket going to ATH.

javabytes

FAM? I know they tend to like 2B on narrow bodies, but maybe they prefer center section for wide bodies?

Thomas Hudson

Back during the Leo days, if you got kicked out of a FC seat, it could have been for him....

zman

Somebody did someone a favor, maybe a DL employee

jamesteroh

I hav ebeen moved from row 2 in First before. I have been told air marshalls prefer aisle 2.

Sez_Who

If the reason for the seat change was anything other than a broken seat or a FAM, I would be howling too. In this case, if they did it just to put a couple together by bumping a PM out, that would be totally inexcusable.

Thomas Hudson

Most likely... that is why I always say that it is not "your" seat til the landing gear comes up... I do not like that it is that way... but it is...

jamesteroh

Seeing someone was sitting in the seat it obviously wasn't broken. Seeing it was obviously a couple sitting together and how he was dressed, I doubt it was an FAM.

This is hindsight, but I should have asked for a redcoat at DTW upon landing. I should have pushed for one at LGA, but didn't want to delay getting on the plane any later (the GA made an announcement asking for people in zone 4 to gate check their bag and asking for volunteers in zone 1 to 3 to check theirs and was going around the seating area asking to see boarding passes and if someone was in zone 4 he was asking for their bags so I figured bing space was at a premium).

The things that REALLY iritated me was the GA couldn't explain it and that another seat wasn't assigned after mine was given up.

jamesteroh

Even if it was someone with NO status, it's inexcusable to give away their seat so a couple can sit together. If a couple can't go 90 minutes without sitting together than place them in non premium seats, not an exit row where a PM was confirmed in that seat almost 2 months ago.

pragakhan

I wouldn't had boarded the flight without an explanation from a supervisor as to why this took place. Obviously the GA didn't want to get the supervisor because then he would have to explain what happened. But then again maybe your travel plans would had prevented missing your flight.

Or, as an FYI I know if you call in they can tell why, who and when your seat was changed. A quick call the PE line might had suggested it was a GA. Doing this helped me track down a system used by my TA to auto-select seats for me, which I promptly had them turn off. But the GE line knew exactly when it happened and who it was (named the travel agency by name).

I saw a red coat this past week specifically explain to a gentlemen that he cannot kick people out of their seats to accommodate his family (irrops). My guess is your GA felt the need to violate this rule, maybe it was a friend or non-rev co-worker.

I doubt you'll get any answers from an email, probably just a large package of SmileMiles and some understanding on how frustrating it is not to have your assigned seat. But you can be confident they will do everything in their power to send your complaint to the local airport management and will take appropriate action if found necessary to make sure this never happens again.. *sarcasm*.