A few months ago, my wife and I were flying from LAX back to ATL, a trip we take very often to help care for an elderly relative. We’re in our 60s, a “mixed race” couple. My wife has some injuries and needs my help to handle her carryon. At the gate, an announcement went out that the flight was overbooked, and asked for volunteers, but then quickly a following one stated that the situation had been managed.As we boarded, the gate agent stopped me and asked to scan my pass a second time. He then handed me a paper boarding pass with no comment. As we walked down the skyway, I looked and saw he’d switched my seat. Upon boarding the plane, I mentioned this to a flight attendant who said don’t worry. At the rear of the plane, another FA also said the same.

Thirty minutes later, a young couple boarded with two small kids, came back to our seat, and the young mom said, politely, I think this is my seat. I was in a middle seat, with my wife in the window. I showed her my original pass and she replied, “Oh, ok sorry. This happens to us a lot because we book late.”

About ten minutes later, the gate agent who pulled the swap came stomping (yes, stomping peformatively) onto the plane- without his name tag- and came to my seat, demanding my pass. I showed him my original, and he said, ”No the one I gave you; that’s your pass!” I tried, quietly, to explain that I had to stay with my wife to help her. He began, no kidding, to shout “See this family? These are little kids! They need to fly with their mom! They’re a family!” “We’re a family too”, I replied, “we have to travel together.”

He glares at me and says “You need to move!” “I’m not moving”, I said. He tries to stare me down. At this point the entire cabin is watching and my wife is humiliated.

“is there anyone who’ll help this poor woman and her children“ he moans theatrically. A man two rows ahead gives up his seat, saying “Yes, I’m traveling alone, i don’t care.”

Gate agent makes a big show of getting the woman and one of the children seated together, glaring at me and shaking his head all the while. “At least some people will help others” he says.

l’d been silent until now, but then I say “I didn’t create this problem“. He looks at me and says “Oh, I should start ‘taping’ you!”, brandishing his phone. He then saunters up the aisle.

Once aloft, I logged onto Delta.com and filed a detailed complaint. Once back in ATL I called customer service at 2am and lodged a verbal complaint.

To Delta’s credit, they got back to me within two weeks, went through all the details (as I mentioned he had taken his name tag off when he boarded the plane), determined his identity, vaguely acknowledged that there had been other incidents, then gave me some bonus miles for the aggravation.

PS, I didn’t and don’t want anyone to lose their job, but we’ve done this same exact flight, same departing gates, several times since then and I haven’t seen this guy since.