Rdenney

Airlines make a fundamental calculation, based on mountains of data: How many seats do we expect to go undemanded on this flight? If that number is, say 20, then they might sell at additional 20 seats. But then if it turns out to be 18, then two who bought the ticket are now bumped. If it turns out to be 22, then a couple of seats might go empty, which would not be the end of the world.

So, it's really simple: When they have filled up the seats, sell their overbook tickets without seat assignments as standby. "Dear passenger, we will sell you this ticket, but this is a full flight and we may not be able to accommodate you. Therefore, please wait for standby passengers to be cleared to received your seat assignment. If we are unable to clear you, we will rebook you on the next available flight." See? Now, it's voluntary, and it's transparent. I do not buy tickets for which I cannot get a seat assignment, because when I travel, I don't have flexibility. But if I'm looking for a cheap fare for vacation and do have flexibility, then I'll take that risk if the fare is cheap enough. Likewise, if I buy at the last minute, I realize that I will probably be flying standby, no matter how much I pay.

Only assign one person to a seat. The current system, in essence, sells a seat assignment to two people, to persuade them that there is availability in an actual seat so they can charge more for the ticket. That is fundamentally deceptive, and we all know it.

If there is a safety issue or an equipment change or whatever, then the burden of politeness is on the airline even more than usual. If the passenger is not merely asserting his valid rights but is posing a danger to the other passengers and crew, then deal with that using (proper) law enforcement. There is a reason the other removal videos posted in this thread did not go viral when they first appeared.

But it must be emphasized that none of the above applied in this case. The flight was not oversold. The additional four passengers were put in that position because of the limitation on staff depth maintained by their carrier.

How would things have been different if the gate agent had come on board and said:

"Folks, United Airlines has a problem. We have a sudden need to move four crew members on this flight, but we don't have the seats. We are therefore going to buy back seats from four willing sellers who can wait to fly tomorrow afternoon or take a different route home. In addition, we will provide a hotel voucher and meal vouchers for tonight. When I reach an amount you would like to be paid for your seat, in ticket vouchers that can be used for any ticket to any location United or one of its code-share partners flies, ring your call button. When I get four, we'll stop. Okay, how about $800? Anyone? No? Okay, how about $1000? Yes, thank you. And you. No more? Okay, $1200? Thanks. Yes, thanks. Okay, folks, we have our four--thank you very much and sorry for the inconvenience. Those who accepted our offer, please collect your personal belongings and follow me."

And so on until the four tickets have been bought back. This could have been done in five minutes and every desired outcome would have been attained: The four crew members would have been accommodated, those who elected to wait until the next day will think they got a deal, and the passengers who lacked that flexibility would get home on time.