Originally Posted by
WhIteSidE
I strongly agree that I would take a normal customer service route with US.
However I don't see how this can possibly be anything other than IDB. You met the key "features" of IDB:
1) You had a confirmed reservation on a specific flight.
2) You showed up at the gate for your flight consistent with the airlines boarding policies and without any other extenuating circumstances (drunk, missing passport, etc).
3) They denied you boarding.
QED: IDB.
If US fails to compensate you, I would absolutely file a complaint with the DOT. If the airlines could get out of IDB by proactively rebooking you, what's to stop them from just rebooking all the oversells for a flight next week?
Point 1 is invalid. The confirmed reservation was cancelled and the passengers were confirmed on a later flight. They no longer held a confirmed reservation for the original flight because the connection became illegal, not because it was oversold.
This is not a case of IDB and writing to the DOT would be a tremendous waste of everybody's time.