Originally Posted by
i_fly_AA
It doesn't apply to aircraft with 60 or fewer seats ONLY if the IDB is due to a safety or a weight issue. It would still apply in the standard case of an IDB due to an oversell.
True, but there was a seat, it wasn't over full, and they had weight issues, as mentioned in the OP, so the point of 60 or less would have applied had he been confirmed on the flight. (although I believe you were just clarifying the rule for other future situations where weight is not an issue).
No, regardless of the weight, oversales, or size of the aircraft, you were not ticketed, nor booked on the flight. As such, you had no legal right to be on that flight, and no legal repercussions for not being on said flight. One becomes confirmed when one has a reservation, and ticketed and confirmed when one has both a ticket and a reservation. This is when rules regarding passengers ticket rights come into play.
Sorry that the rest happened. You ALMOST lucked out and dodged the bullet by getting on that earlier flight, but in the end, your destiny was already pre-written for you, and once the Oracle at Delphi decrees your future, you must follow it. (just ask Laius, Jocasta, and Oedipus.)