Overbearing Gate Agent at DCA
 

I flew from DCA-SMF (ATA/Southwest, from the murky old Terminal A) on Wednesday, and the whole process went smoothly, with one expectation: check-in.

It began innocently enough—I provided ID, asked the gate agent to mark a fragile sticker on my luggage, and showed her the boarding pass. However, after a few minutes of awakard discussion with her co-worker, she asked me in those exact words: "Okay if I change your seat?" I felt myself tense up; here comes the infamous "let's reseat you near the front because you're Deaf" game. I smiled politely, wrote, "Thanks for asking, but I've flown many times and know the drill. Thanks for the offer anyway." She read and reread that then kind of shook her head and said, "Reason I'm asking is because seat 4A is near the front." (I was originally in 11F.) I felt that impending sense of dread; she changed my seat without even listening to what I said? I paid for this damn seat. I wrote back, "you changed my seat? But I want 11F, that's what works better for me." She shook her head, ignored that request to change my seat back, and then re-printed a boarding pass for me with the new seat assignment. She then wrote slowly, "Your bags are checked." (Duh.) "They will be checked all the way to California." (Double duh. Do I look like I was born yesterday? Like I told her, I flew many times, so I do know the drill.) She smiled at me, and I felt both gratitude (because she was being so friendly) and anger (because she was being overbearing, and refused to listen to my simple request not to change my seat). I then went through security, feeling this anger run through me.

Now, you may think I'm weird for getting so mad over a simple seat, but it's not the seat itself. It's the principle. I didn't like—no, I RESENTED being treated like an invalid, being told where to seat (I believe airlines are required to ask disabled folks if they want accommodated seating, but they're not actually required to seat them in those accommodating seats, except if asked, and/or if that person has a more severe disability), and being told about common sense things that was obviously right in front of me (your bags are checked). I went through security, which, surprisingly, was friendly, and went straight to the gate and requested my seat change back to 11F (hoping it wouldn't be occupied already), and had my seat changed without question. How ironic.

Sigh.

-Andrew

Incredibly unacceptable :td:

This has happened to me previously and I had asked for the supe right away. There's no reasoning with these kind.

Please continue to follow this thread in the FT Disability Travel Forum.
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

:mad::td:

I cannot for the life of me figure this out. Glad you got your seat back, still inexcusible.

Not to diminish from your complaint at all, but just to add some perspective, I am not infrequently informed that my bags are checked "all the way" on journeys with connections. Even frequent fliers can get confused by this so airline staff confirm it without being asked.

Any possibility she was re-seating you in what most travelers would consider a better seat because you are a frequent flier?

And on the frequent flyer subject, every gate agent ought to appreciate that anyone who has flown enough to have even their airline's lowest status knows a little something about how it works.

Katja (who was changed from 4C to 1B today, and was pretty darn happy about it)

IMO overriding the passenger's desire changing a seat for no justifiable reason merits a complaint, regardless of the reason - and stereotyping, desire to provide "extra" service, or patronizing, makes no difference, it's all disempowering of the customer. The decision to be made is how much energy to put into handling this one...

Everyone:

Thanks for your support thus far.

Here's an update: I called ATA Customer Care yesterday through relay. Sorry to say this, but a moronic lady answered after a loooonnngggg hold, and said that there was a complaint form on the website. I explained that I prefered to speak directly to a live person, and she grudingly asked what my complaint was. I explained to her the whole story and what happened. Guess what she did? No apology. She said that she would have to refer me to the ADA text, then read to me a LONG string of "legalse" - basically that the ADA requires people with disabilities to be reseated, and that seating is not guaranteed. When I felt that she was not the right person to talk to, and asked for a supervisor/another representative, she said the office was closed and she was the only one (excuse me - it was afternoon, even in the East Coast). She then said goodbye and hung up.

Sigh. Any suggestions, etc? I know this isn't a BIG DEAL, and probably not worth fighting for too much, but I do feel that treatment I received wasn't right.

Just some random thinking:

Can the airline change any passenger's seat on a whim? Yes. Even the various elite seating privileges are subject to change by gate agents and/or flight attendents. Should they? No, but they can.

I'd be interested to know what "legalese" the CSA cited during your phone call. If it was the ADA, she's exceptionally badly trained, because the ADA doesn't apply. The Air Carrier Access Act, which does apply (to the airline, not necessarily to you) doesn't have anything in it about FORCING a passenger to sit in a particular seat, just about offering seat alternatives that make things easier for the passenger. Besides, everything in the ACAA dealing with seating is about people with mobility impairments. The only mention of hearing impairments is about conveying information, not about your location in the plane.

CSAs and gate agents are poorly trained on this stuff and probably aren't the right avenue of complaint. If you want to escalate, you should ask for the CRO (Complaint Resolution Officer) - every airline has to have one, and that person is supposed to be trained, with annual refreshers.

If it were me I probably wouldn't bother, and the next time something like that happened I also wouldn't bother to try to educate the gate agent in anyway, I'd just keep repeating (as many times as is necessary), "Thanks, my current assigned seat is fine" while hanging on to my boarding pass with a death grip.

We invalids don't like being treated that way either! :)

Amen!

Andy - do you think it might be worth it to write directly to the CRO at ATA?

MoonPet:

How would I do that, tho?

Clarification
 

Question:

You don't specify why 11F was a more appealing seat than 4F. Was 11F in an exit row? Was that the reason for reseating, which seems the only possible reason I can think of for reseating, as one must be able to hear & understand commands given by F/A's in an emergency? Other than that, I can't even begin to think of why this would have happened.

An airline is required at all times to have a CRO on duty, so you could have asked for one right then and there, if you felt you were being discriminated against. At this point, I would write a letter to them, bringing in the ACAA, as mentioned above, and state that you wish this brought to a CRO for resolution. They MUST reply. And I would send a copy to the DOT, as well (make sure you show cc DOT at the bottom to get the airline's attention). That goes on their report card and they will handle it promptly.

laxjetbear:

Naw, 11F wasn't an emergency exit row. It was just an ordinary seat.

I'll try doing that. So should I use ATA's complaint feedback form, and then also send a copy to DOT? The only problem I see in this is that I don't even have the check-in agent's name. I should have wrote that down.

-Andrew