I think that's the crux of the problem. Someone flies once or twice a year. They arrange time off work, prepay hotels and buy a ticket which they expect will get them there in time to stay in the rooms theyve bought.
But unbeknownst to them, until this week, there's a secret proprietary list with maybe dozens of categories of passengers who, if the airline deems it "necessary," will be given their purchased and confirmed seat, apparently even if they're sitting in it. I refer not just to this case in Chicago, but to the case in Hawaii as well.
I guess if the airline revealed just how many types of passengers could bump them, passengers could maybe use that information as well as price when making purchase decisions.