Concerned that my recent seat assignments on Continental have separated my spouse and/or me from our kids, I called Continental to confirm that we could be seated together on an upcoming flight.

Shockingly, I was told by the booking agent on the phone, that Continental not only would not accommodate me, but they won’t even guarantee me a seat on the plane. Really, the agent said, look at the contract you sign when you purchase the ticket. Yes, that is why I booked months in advance and I called specifically after booking to request that my family be seated together on all flights. If I am not allowed to select seats until 24 hours prior to a flight, how can I guarantee this. And, surely, it is not reasonable to expect a total stranger to care for my young children during flight–much less care for them in an emergency.

But, really, I asked you won’t work with me to make sure that I am able to sit with my kids? I asked. What would we do in an emergency? NO, she said. Look at the contract that goes with your ticket. We have no obligations to you. Wow. I have never received such a cold response from an airline.

Amazing. I recommend against flying Continental. I have been flying them for years almost exclusively, but the hubris and complete disinterest in helping me were stunning. I have NEVER had a conversation like this with an airline.

So, it turns out this is pretty low-hanging fruit; a couple minutes on the Internet, and I find dozens of other such cases; see this, for example: http://www.airlinecomplaints.org/showthread.php?t=8109. You would think that Continental could improve on how it works with its paying customers.

I wonder if my members of Congress know about such odd terms of carriage. I can’t imagine that we would allow airlines to so cavalierly put kids at risk.