[rippingmad]

On November 5, 2007 I reserved and confirmed seating on a flight from Chicago to Frankfurt with family members from Hawaii Booking four months in advance of our ‘once in a lifetime trip’ together in order to avoid any problems. We were seated in seats that we had requested. They, in a window and accompanying seat and I across the aisle in an aisle seat due to a back problem and necessity of moving frequently to avoid my leg falling asleep. We are all senior citizens and have traveled extensively and this has been the most outrageous dealing I have ever had with an airline.

First of all, how can you reroute people and then not honor their previous seat assignments and arbitrarily seat them at your will. I am now seated in the center of a 5-seat section and 20 rows away from my family, with the statement that nothing can be done.

I have retired from service industry businesses that I ran successfully for over twenty years and if I treated my customers the way they treat theirs…. All I can say is, no wonder the airlines are having so much trouble.

I have been told that because of my back problem, they will make note of my desire to sit in an aisle seat. This is not a desire, this is a necessity.

My son was a pilot for a competing airline and I do know that a certain number of seats are held in abeyance and I think it appropriate that three of these be released and assigned to my family members and myself.

Any thoughts?