Many of us deal with IRROPS on a semi-regular basis, and know pretty well how to navigate those waters without finding ourselves in this situation. One of the reasons it's important to do that is because airlines' legal liability is limited in this country not only by the CoC (which also waives consequential damages) but also by the ADA.

Most of the time you refer to "monopoly" you should really be referring instead to the legal protections that airlines enjoy under federal law, which preempts most state law claims.

You will find that even if you succeed in getting money out of UA, you will invest far more time and effort than if you had simply worked through UA rather than buying tickets on WN on your own.

Alternatively, if you carry travel insurance (available through many credit cards), it would be a relatively simple matter of presenting that claim to the insurer.