The challenge that we faced was that we were told by our travel agent that we could not get seat assignments for the return flight until check-in and that it was possible that we may not get even two seats together. The prospect of our granddaughter sitting alone on an eight-hour night flight was unthinkable. His travel agent and tour operator insisted they were powerless to keep the family together. Receiving no satisfaction from the travel agencies and feeling that any request out of the ordinary was a great inconvenience to them, we contacted the air carrier directly. Plan for the Worst Steve Loucks, a spokesman for the American Society Of Travel Agents in Alexandria, VA, says agents are often just as frustrated as travelers like the Hranickas.
Travel agents have to play by the airlines' rules, and then the airlines break their own rules.
It makes the agent look like a fool. That may be the best advice for anyone who wants to avoid sitting next to a difficult passenger as well. But there are limits to what a carrier can do. When it comes to screaming babies, the system isn't fail-safe. Better bring those earplugs just in case.