Amen!

Not sure why people are pissing on the OP here. If the UG hadn't come through, he'd have been back in 24D instead of in EC, with standby passengers taking his seat. I don't mess with GAs because I know they're harried and I generally have the UG in hand, but the reason they're harried is that they have too much leeway to indulge in Shena behavior and thus have too much power.

The OP was completely entitled to ask for a seat in Economy Comfort, however he isn't exactly entitled to the precise seat he wants, especially since the flight was already under gate control. The bulkhead row is usually reserved for passengers with special needs and such.

The passengers that were seated in row 10 on this flight were inconvenienced revenue passengers that were flying together, we do not know their fare code, however they were not NRSA's, so as far as anyone knows, they were just as entitled to the bulkhead seats as the OP. And it is highly unlikely the gate agent was trying to pull some shenanigan to benefit these passengers since these were revenue passengers.

Had the OP asked for -any- EC seat instead of asking specifically for a the bulkhead as a backup, perhaps the GA would have been more accommodating, but if the GA was already planning on seating the inconvenienced group in row 10, I can understand that he/she was hesitant to seat a passenger there that was probably getting the upgrade anyways.

Well ok, but the OP was also an inconvenienced revenue passenger, and I read the post as saying the only other ECs were middle seats (the post said middle row, but I guessed a typo - perhaps not). It is not clear to me that the standbys were inconvenienced revenue passengers - standby covers a lot of situations. If the only other ECs were middle seats then I can understand the OP saying no. If the standbys were not IROPs, then I feel the ire was justified.

Probably true... but they are also the gatekeepers of upgrades and EC/preferred seats.

Calling the GA out at the right time may get you a better seat, but I think that "calling out" a GA is probably not likely to get you the desired result, in general.

Even if the GA is pulling sheena and giving non-revs upgrades, they aren't going to like you calling them out on it, even if it's appropriate. In these situations I try to let the GA know I'm looking for a certain type of seat (bulkhead, exit, aisle), but don't pressure them into any one seat. More often than not, I find that I am given the seat I wanted in the first place.

Backing a GA into a corner may get you miles/vouchers when they don't give you seat you want, but if you want a certain seat it's always better to be nice and courteous, even if the GA isn't following the rules.

Tattling on a GA or FA doesn't usually leave anyone happy with the final result, even if the tattle-tale is right.

The Delta love in this thread is over the top... My eyes can't be deceiving!??

OP: Ignore the gush, kudos on in-person retraining.

All this for a flight that is about 1 hour long?

Win at all cost - the American Way!

They were not traveling together and were not IROPS (I was IROPS) they were trying to standby on an earlier flight.

I was very nice to the GA when I first requested the seat and understood when she said they reserve the bulkhead for disabled passengers. It's when she gave the seats to standby passengers just 10 minutes later where I got ticked.

Yes it was only an hour flight, but I preferred that seat versus in the back.

IME, GAs are best at accommodating a single request. When I ask for an aisle seat, bulkhead, or exit row (asking for extra legroom, as I am 6'5"), the GA is usually able to offer me a decent seat assignment. If you have a tight connection, I would explain that to the GA and ask for a seat in the front of Y. If you need legroom/lavatory access, I would explain that.

It seems to me that GAs are more than willing to accommodate legitimate requests, but are immune to the usual DYKWIA requests for EC/aisle seats. If you approach the GA and can offer even the most flimsy of rationale for the seat you want, you will likely get it. If you badger the GA or repeatedly ask about seats, you will probably find yourself in a middle seat toward the back of the plane.

Maybe this isn't fair, but there are plently of reasons people need to ask for special seating, and being a DYKWIA seems to be the default assumption if a better reason isn't offered first.

Letter of the law? I side with the GA on this one. No passenger has the right to an empty seat. The GA can assign it as they wish. Granted, one expects some semblance of customer service - i.e. if a Medallion asks specifically for the seat, I would think they should probably get it over a non-status passenger who is randomly assigned it, unless there is something that merits the non-status passenger getting it (such as traveling together with other passengers in that row, etc.) And without being there, it's hard to second-guess. So the level of service rendered by the GA's choice might be debatable, but OP is not "entitled" to that seat.

Is this true that DL tracks complaining passengers? Where would such a list reside and how this this occur?

This is true.

Most likely this is tracked by your SM number, but possibly also by any unique identifier (GE, Nexus, passport, etc.)

If your complaints are legitimate, you have little to worry about. If your complaints are about shena, you're probably already blacklisted. You have to pick your battles. They aren't all worth dying over.

How is tracked?

Oh, come on. Have you never heard of your "permanent record"????

Seriously, most airlines, hotels, and other types of businesses have a method of logging comments about their passengers and guests and customers. Just what goes in there is totally dependent on the employee. I have seen the "permanent record" for one hotel entity - it was tied to the Frequent Guest number.