Q. I suffer from anxiety when flying and do best at a window near the front of the plane, so when my husband and I flew to Ft Lauderdale to see our grandkids, I purchased seat 6A. Minutes before the flight boarded, I and 4 or 5 others were called to the desk and informed of our new seat assignments. I very calmly and nicely explained to the man that I am not a good flyer and that this seat would not work, that I have anxiety issues when flying, and that is why I had purchased my seat at additional cost.  He said to go ahead and sit there and a flight attendant would reseat me later.
 
With NO EXPLANATION I was reassigned to seat 20D. Definitely NOT a window and definitely not in the front of the plane and definitely no explanation of the seat reassignment.  As a result I spent the entire 2 hour flight fighting off an anxiety attack. None of the flight attendants would even look in my direction the entire time.
 
After a letter to Allegiant, they did credit the amount I paid for the seat, but still no explanation as to why I was moved. Especially after I explained my anxiety problem. What rights do I have, if any?

A. Unfortunately, seat assignments aren't guaranteed. Airlines may sometimes be forced to switch out aircraft for various reasons, which can cause last minute seat reshuffling - though that's pretty rare. Still, Allegiant should have immediately refunded the additional money you paid for 6A, without having to be reminded to do so. You paid extra for a seat that they failed to provide, end of story.

Q. Is it possible to fly "stand by" for a cheap "walk on" price for any airline(s) these days? I would like to go to Greenville/Spartburg to see a friend and the flights are over $450. I thought you might know a "trick" to finding a cheaper rate and thought I would ask.

A. Walk up fares are far from cheap, so you might give Priceline's Name-Your-Own-Price a shot. We've managed to score some pretty terrific fares for last minute trips, even when booking the day before departure. Before placing your bid, Priceline provides the current going rate along with recent winning bids from other users, which is pretty helpful. If your bid isn't accepted, you'll be asked to change your search parameters - such as the number of connections your willing to make, or including red-eye flights, or nearby airports, before eventually raising your bid. Chances are you'll find something for much less than $450.

Q. I remember years ago one could buy a "round the world" ticket at a reasonable price. You could stop anywhere as long as it was in one direction, and you had a year to use it. With tickets being bought online these days I dont know how to figure out the least expensive round the world ticket.

We would like to buy one for our daughter who is graduating from college this year, though she might not be using it until next year. Any comments or thoughts on this subject would be greatly appreciated!

A. You can search online through your preferred airline alliance (OneWorld, SkyTeam, Star Alliance...) but rules and restrictions are awfully complicated for RTW ticketing. Generally, the passenger must travel in the same direction, no backtracking allowed. Some plans go by miles, others by segments, stops, continents. You might find it easier to give your choice of airline a call or, better still, drop by the nearest ticketing office to plan it out in person. Another option (and most likely the least expensive) is to book through a company that specializes in planning such trips. AirTreks is an excellent place to begin, and offers more varied itineraries with fewer restrictions.

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Q. Many years ago I read in the newspaper that if you check-in online and then miss your flight, the airline considers your ticket as used and does not help out as much as if you had not checked in. Since then, I have almost always waited until I get to the airport before checking in. I find the process at the airport to be easy. The only exception is when I have flown Southwest, because checking in online early gives me better chances at a seat I like. Also, on occasion airlines have offered extra miles or points for checking in online, and I am a sucker for points. Is there a downside to checking in online, or have times have changed?

A. A ticket is only considered “used” if it’s scanned to board the flight. Merely checking in does not mean a ticket is used. However, I tweeted this question to my followers on Twitter @airfarewatchdog and one person suggested a possible downside to checking in online. American Airlines, he says, “unchecked-in” passengers on a flight because a smaller plane was substituted for a larger one. Seats were re-assigned only at airport check-in, but those who checked in online and went straight to the gate were too late to get seats on the smaller plane. If you think you’ll miss your flight, be sure to call the airline to cancel, however, because there may be a penalty for being a no-show. Southwest Airlines, for example, recently added this policy change: “If a Customer has booked a nonrefundable fare anywhere in his/her itinerary and that portion of the flight is not used and not canceled or changed by the Customer prior to scheduled departure, all unused funds on the full itinerary will be lost, and the remaining reservation will be canceled. The policy applies to reservations made or changed on or after Friday, May 10, 2013, for travel on or after Friday, September 13, 2013. This policy does not apply to military fares, senior fares, or travel during certain irregular operations, including severe weather conditions."

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Q. My daughter, Sarah (18) and I would like to take a special, high school graduation celebratory trip to a warm, “tropical” location. She’s interested in “Caribbean” blue waters, though it doesn’t have to be in the Caribbean. We would love to snorkel. I would be interested in visiting some “ruins” on the trip, though not necessary. What we are really looking for is an inexpensive, safe, relaxing, clear-water ocean, beach vacation. It doesn’t need to be 5-star, 3 or 4 is fine. Four to six nights is probably what we could afford. We would travel in July. Could you help us with a recommendation on a destination?

A. Tulum, Mexico! It’s got everything on your list: Ruins, snorkeling, affordable. You’d fly to Cancun and go from there. Everything from sleek all-inclusive resorts to rustic tent camps and bed-and-breakfasts. I realize that Mexico has received a lot of negative media attention due to drug wars and so on, but the Cancun area has not been affected. Have a look here general travel tips and hotel recommendations.

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Q. My dream trip to Europe may become a reality next year. We are very flexible with dates. When is the cheapest time to fly to England and what is the best way to get good plane fares throughout Europe if we country-hop?

A. Economy class fares to Europe generally start to go down after mid August, and continue downward from there until mid December. They are also cheaper from just after the New Year to March 31. Dublin and Shannon are typically the cheapest European destinations, and they are good places to land since Ryanair offers onward flights at rock-bottom prices to many European destinations. Just be careful if you check a bag on Ryanair, because their bag fees (especially for bags weighing over 15 kilograms (about 22 pounds) are pretty outrageous (20 Euros per kilogram). They also charge a 2 percent fee for credit card payments and many other fees. Other relatively less expensive entry points, lately, have been Berlin and Istanbul. You can sometimes find fare deals for peak summer travel that are about the same as off-peak, but the routings will involve long stopovers or inconvenient flight times. I suggest signing up for airfare alerts to find hidden deals, such as a fare I recently found from Washington to Manchester, UK for $800 round-trip including tax on SAS for July travel. Business class fares, in contrast, are cheapest for peak summer travel (often half price or less). British Airways has an annual business class fare sale (sign up for their email alerts) as do other airlines.

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Q. We'll be flying to California this summer and we've always dreamed of driving down to Los Angeles along the coast highway. Is it better to drive north or south on this route? My husband insists it's better to drive north, but I don't see the difference. We'd be starting in Yosemite National Park driving west to the coast. Where should be stop about half way along the route?

A. Most people prefer driving south, because you're closer to the scenery on the right hand side of the road and it's easier to pull over and stop. I suggest stopping over in impossibly charming Carmel, California. Although it's still quite a drive from there to LA, it can be managed in one day. The newly-renovated Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley offers the best value in the area, with tasteful and spacious guest rooms and a great golf course among other amenities.

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Q. Why even list San Diego to Las Vegas as being a $60 fare? What Spirit Airlines doesn't get in airfare, they rake in on luggage fees. A $29 fare, plus a fee for checking luggage each way, plus a fee for a carry-on each way, plus a fee for a better seat if I'd like...My $60 round-trip ends up being $146 in total.

A. You can always pack light and place your bag under your seat for take off and landing (use it as a footrest during the flight). If it fits under your seat, there's no charge at all. And avoid choosing a seat in advance. If you do, you will indeed pay $60 round-trip, leaving on your chosen dates.

For the same trip, American charges $164, Delta $246, United $207, US Air $271 and Virgin $276.

Even with all the fees, it's a lot less than some other airlines. And again, those fees are all optional.

Q. American Airlines does not make available even one mileage award seat for travel in business or first class from any of their hubs (DFW, ORD, LAX, etc) to any major European hub such as London, for months to come (nothing before November). That is unless you spend double miles or fly with their partner BA with multiple stop overs and paying more than double in fees and taxes.
 
Seems to be a little excessive when there are no available seats for months on end. Can’t anything be done?

A. There are definitely too many miles chasing too few award seats, so it makes one wonder whether it's still worthwhile collecting them. AA recently offered miles for sale with a 50% bonus, which results in still more miles chasing fewer seats. Sometimes they open up seats, at the lower award level, at the last minute if they haven't sold them. I'm not sure if AA does this, but I know United has been aggressive in offering last minute paid upgrades at huge discounts to business and first… $800 to upgrade an economy class seat to business class on the LAX to JFK route for instance (for a seat that would normally cost $2300 each way), rather than offering those seats as free upgrades to elite flyers or as award seats. It doesn't seem fair, does it, but the airlines hold all the cards.

Q. Whatever happened to “Rule 240?” As I recall, in the past when a flight was canceled or severely delayed, the airline would put you on a competitor’s next flight out if that flight would get you to your destination sooner than your original airline’s next flight out. I was even put in first class on Continental one time when my American Airlines flight was cancelled, even though my original ticket was in economy class. But recently I was flying on Delta and the agent refused to put me on the next flight out on Airtran when my flight was cancelled, even though there were seats available on Airtran.

A. Rule 240 was a part of all airlines’ contracts of carriage back when airlines were regulated by the government, and stipulated that in the event of a cancellation or delay “within the airline’s control” (and not resulting from an act of God, such as weather) the passenger must be put on the next flight out on another airline. Most airlines have done away with this rule in their contracts. However, some airlines still have such a rule, although usually a weaker version of it, and will (at their discretion) re-route you on another airline in the event of a cancellation. For example, Rule 24 in United’s contract states “[United will] reroute Passengers over the lines of one or more carriers in the same class of service when a Change in Schedule results in the cancellation of all UA service between two cities.” Alaska Airlines has a similar rule, as does Frontier Airlines. Most others, however, including those formed after airlines were deregulated, have eliminated Rule 240 or never had one.