To clear people out from the gate area, use empty space and free up space on a potentially future full flight used to suit everyone. Yet when the airlines mess up, the customers have to do what suits the airline - there was at least some reciprocity in the past.

I can't think of how many times an AA flight would get into DFW with plenty of time to get an earlier (and by the way non-legal when booking) connection to Austin and I'd always get it. Same applies to UA on routes with plenty of flights. This part of the new nickel and diming approach to customer service really gets to me.

One of these days I am going to say "no" when there is a non-weather problem for the airlines and they want me to fly some awful schedule to suit them - instead you can put me in a nice hotel and pay for dinner and breakfast too and I'll go tomorrow thank you very much. And by the way I want a flight with plenty of upgrade space available.