Originally Posted by
lucky9876coins
Well I actually had a forced overnight layover so did clear customs. Assuming it wasn't allowed couldn't going through customs solve the whole issue because you'd technically be entering Canada first?
I'm not sure on the exact technical requirements for seventh freedom vs. transit differentiation, but it doesn't really apply in your case. United is allowed to sell tickets that originate in Canada and tickets that end in Canada, as long as you end and start in the US, respectively. It just can't sell tickets that originate in Canada and end in Canada via the US (or direct, for that matter).
Immigration doesn't generally care about airline requirements on this kind of thing; these types of violations would be taken up against the airline by various airline agencies in international forums (i.e. it is never a violation by you to buy an unlawful ticket, it is only a violation for an airline to sell it to you).