Originally Posted by
expert7700
I agree this isn't denied boarding. Using that in any correspondence you send in might confuse the situation.
unless you bought the replacement ticket at exactly T-45min when UA was trying to close the domestic flight checkin), I'd have still been on the phone, documenting holding or trying to force the issue with AC. Heck, I'd have done so up to the point of final boarding prior to scanning a refundable paid ticket.
After many years on FT and a good amount of travel gone wrong, my impression is that any funds spent rebuying a flight are rarely, if ever, reimbursed.
There are sufficient precedents in CTA rulings that indicate replace ticket costs in these circumstances will be reimbursed. If the airline pushes back the only problem will be waiting for the CTA backlog - since the event occured in the USA, DOT could also be involved. Ticket re-issuance problems are not the passengers' contractual issue - they are solely the airlines; yes, resolving it can be a pain but it will be resolved in favour of the passener.