Sun Country Airlines review: Seating assignments

I Am Counting On Whoever Reads This To Be A Caring and Compassionate Human. Not just a “By-the-Book” company employee.

I am VERY UPSET and need someone who CARES about the customers to read this thoroughly and completely as it is a DEVASTATING situation to me that one of YOUR EMPLOYEES caused to happen!

Recently (6/6/2024) I was booked on your flight SY602 – PHX to MSP. (#DYEFHN) I was traveling back to MN (Where I am from originally) to see my Grandson graduate from HS. The SC employee I was referring to was the guy at the gate who let’s you enter the jetway. More on him later.

Now…Here is my ordeal: I suffer from an EXTREMELY horrible “condition” (I don’t know what else to call it) that is devastating to me. It makes it hard to leave the house it gets so bad. You know how some people are extremely claustrophobic…and if you put them in a small tight space they go out of their mind with devastating anxiety wanting to explode, scream and yell and get out of there NOW!? Well – my problem is a little different, but gives me the same powerful unbearable reaction. I absolutely CANNOT handle ANYBODY sitting BEHIND me….planes, restaurants, in vehicles, etc. I have had this my entire life (I am 68 now) and have seen professionals about it and no one understands it therefore no one has been able to help me with it and when it kicks in it is unbearable. I cannot “endure” it or just “think good thoughts”. It’s too overpowering. Now that you know this – PLEASE read the rest and as stupid and ridiculous as I KNOW this sounds to you, PLEASE try to understand.

When I booked my flight about a month before I always try to book the farthest back seat so there is a wall behind me – NOT a person. Online I could only book seat 30A – row 31 was blocked out completely.

I called and was told you never book those back seats and I would be fine since no one would be sitting in those seats behind me. I didn’t trust that. I called again a few days later and was told the same thing. I was told to tell my story to the guy at the gate and he would probably let me sit in the 31A seat. Well…that still means worry and agony that I won’t get that seat anyway. I called one last desperate time to plead my case for the 31A seat. FINALLY I got a real kind lady to help me out. I explained my situation a and she told me they save those seats for families so they can sit together. When I told her it was so devastating and powerful that I would have to forfeit my flight and not see my Grandson graduate, she put me on hold. While I was on hold I was looking at my reservation on my PC and saw it change to 31A! I was elated with relief and now I could relax KNOWING I had my seat. Now I knew I would be able to relax with no one behind me AND I have my window seat. I LOVE flying and would have been an Airline Pilot had I not become a professional Musicians instead.

NOW – here is what this is all about…PLEASE read it carefully – PLEASE don’t just skim over it and send me a corporate blanket meaningless reply.

I got to the gate to board my flight. I was delayed but still 15 minutes from push back. I WAS IN TOTAL SHOCK AND DISBELIEF when the “gate guy” so casually told me that he had to change my seat because a family needed to sit there together in that row! I HAD SEAT 31A ON MY BOARDING PASS! I WENT THROUGH HARD WORK AND MULTIPLE PHONE CALLS MAKING SURE I HAD THAT SEAT! I explained to him my deal and pleaded with him to give me my 31A seat back. He pulled the family crap on me so I calmly and quietly - but assertively asked him if he really thought a family member having to sit away from the others was as devastating to them as what I go through with MY problem? I boarded the plane and as I got back to the area I could see a guy in my seat. He was unwilling to move and the flight attendants would not force him and offered me a different seat with no regard to my situation. I did NOT want to cause a scene or conflict as I am NOT that kind of person. I quietly walked off the plane.

The bottom line? I cannot have anyone behind me – the anxiety is too powerful to just sit there and “endure” it.

Also…I LOVE to fly and ALWAYS get a window seat. If I can’t book a window seat I won’t fly. I cannot sit on an isle seat. There are still people behind me there. Flight attendants, passengers standing waiting for the bathroom, etc. I can’t sit in the middle between two people as that gets me too uncomfortably claustrophobic.

I completely understand why you are likely thinking “what a [censored] this guy is…this is stupid and ridiculous” and I couldn’t agree more. But none the less – I AM plagued with this and can’t get rid of it.

As a paying customer I am entitled to the seat of my choice. If I can’t get my needed seat, I just won’t take the trip. No hassle for the airline, no hassle for the other passengers…no problem for anyone but me.

I will say that your employee named Angela in customer service was very kind and understanding. You should quadruple her pay! She did offer me a voucher for a future flight. BUT WHAT IF THE SAME THING HAPPENS WHEN I GET TO THE GATE?

IMPORTANT QUESTION: If I was already in my seat would they have tried to make ME move to accommodate the “family”?

How do I stop this from happening? How can I be GUARANTEED that I will not lose my badly needed specific seat because the “gate guard guy” (or the company “policy makers”) thought a family sitting together was more important than the living Hell I go through and have to leave the plane because I cannot handle sitting anywhere else and worked so hard and long to secure THAT seat?

Please don’t tell me he was “just following company policy” or anything like that. Your “rule” needs to be changed to accommodate special circumstances.

I know this seems real petty and stupid – and I agree – but like I said – it’s real to me and I cannot control it. I just need to know that any future bookings will NOT involve me losing my NEEDED seat under ANY circumstances when I get there to board the plane. If you CANNOT guarantee me that then PLEASE REFUND MY MONEY instead of a voucher as I would never be able to take a chance with your company ever again. If you CAN do this for me – you will have a loyal customer for all of my flights in the future.

If you actually read all this and “hear” it….I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Regards,

Bruce D Rudolph

1412 W Temple Pl

Chandler, AZ 85224

[protected]

[protected]@cox.net

brucerudolph.com