The basic issue is whether or not a standby passenger who has been given a boarding pass and boarded should then be removed if a ticketed passenger shows up. My opinion is that this should be done only if the ticketed passenger shows up before the cutoff time, and that the standby should have been warned that it could happen. Others may differ, but that's what we're differing on.

How much the ticketed passenger weighed, and in the case of one who requires two seats whether the standby was given that passenger's first or second seat, is a side issue. It gets headline attention, but it's not the essence of what's going on here.