Ms. Villafana,
Yikes! I am so sorry to hear about what happened to you. How frustrating considering that you did everything right. And you even had a bright orange shirt on! I hope you are able to get back on schedule from missing a half day of work—and that the rest of your interrupted itinerary was tolerable.
First, I suggest that you try and determine if you are eligible for compensation based on the Contract of Carriage (you “signed” this contract with Delta when purchasing your ticket). Here is a link to each document:
http://www.delta.com/legal/contract_...iage/index.jsp. FYI, if your travel was subject to the Domestic General Rules, you could be eligible for 200% of your fare (up to $650) if you met the conditions outlined in that document (see page 44).
Normally the gate agent and/or a Supervisor would handle the compensation process at the airport. Please contact Delta immediately if you feel that your situation met the qualifications and you were not compensated. Otherwise, if you believe that your experience did not meet the qualifications, I certainly suggest that you still write in a letter to Delta. It is likely that they will compensate you in some form for that experience (perhaps a voucher).
Also, I do fly on Delta a lot. Many Delta gates have a TV screen which cycles through several screens—one of which is called the “Cleared List”. Passengers without a seat assignment appear on this list once your seat is assigned. If you decide to fly on Delta again and don’t have a seat you can always use that as a backup. You may already be familiar with the Cleared List and/or there was no TV screen at the gate, so apologies if this is not new information.
Please keep us updated on what happens. We are all anxious to hear!
Best of luck,
Matt