We arrived at the airport super early, a good four hours before our Frontier flight, since it was my daughter's first time flying and she was understandably nervous. I had everything sorted—checked in 24 hours ahead, paid for bags, and picked our seats. But when we got our boarding passes, the seats weren’t assigned. We stuck around the gate area, thinking we were all set. I wasn't aware of the 40-minute rule before boarding, despite my background with American Airlines.
When it was our turn to speak with the ticket agent, she was anything but helpful. With a dismissive attitude, she told us, "You're 2 minutes too late," and refused to let us board. Yet, she allowed others on after us. We ended up driving to another airport, paying for a new flight, and waiting hours to retrieve our bags. The whole experience was frustrating and felt unfair. I'm determined to seek a resolution.