[PHXFlyer]

Jim, I think you, and the OP, are making way more of this than is necessary. However I'd like to emphasize one statement from the OP:

Originally Posted by Miriam Fuhrmann

To Justme - I am actually the one flying this weekend and have tried to get answers from Expedia as well as Delta. Of course, no one will accept "blame" - I am not interested in anyone doing that, what I had hoped for was that someone would actually toe the line and assist. I can assure you that the flight will be very unpleasant for the other passengers if we do not get to sit together.

It seems to me the OPs have the mindset that the only assistance would be to provide them with adjoining seat assignments now rather than wait until 24 hour online check-in or at the airport. It seems this was explained to them (possibly not in the most customer-friendly manner, but remember we're hearing this from the parties who aren't "getting their way") several times by at least a couple of phone agents and supervisors. Although there is no excuse for a customer service employee to resort to shouting, one must wonder what was happening on the customer's side of the conversation as well. Was a higher volume necessary to be heard over the customer's own "shouting"? Remember we almost never hear the other side of the story and people do tend to sanitize their version of events because they know that. One very similar story comes to mind and since that person was traveling out of Phoenix on Continental I was able to actually hear their side of the story. It was essentially the same from a factual standpoint yet the OP left out many details about her own behavior which led to her removal from that flight and her daughter's "post-traumatic stress" over the whole experience. From what I heard the mother probably caused that girl's PTSD, as well as her "motion sickness" disorder long before they flew that day!

In this case, Jim, Delta isn't going to allow a four year old to sit apart from the only person traveling with her on the plane. That is just absurd. It's a long flight and it's just not going to happen. I don't know why the OP doesn't realize this too.