Q. My wife booked a trip on US Airways through Travelocity, and wasn't given the option of selecting her own seat. When she checked in, she realized she'd been given the worst seats on the plane, at the very rear, by the toilets. She says she will not use Travelocity in the future. What should she have done and when?

A. Hmm...I'm guessing she bought her fare close to flight time, or on a very heavily booked flight. It was probably US Air that wouldn't assign seats, because the flight was oversold. There's really not much you can do in a situation like that, but hey, it never hurts to ask an agent if they can assign you a different seat.