Having dealt with this (not the pax part, but the need a crew ASAP part), we'd have planes mechanical on the ground. Get the mechanics working to fix whatever was broken. Meanwhile, the crew due to fly the plane is going to be out of hours before scheduled landing time at destination. Need to get a new crew with hours available. Or perhaps there was weather somewhere that caused the crew that was supposed to fly to run out of hours. The flight hours rules are DoT regs. You know to keep your ass safe from over-tired pilots that have been flying 24-7 without sleep. Same DoT regs that govern how many hours truckers can drive in a day/week. You know to keep 80,000 lbs trucks from being driven by hopped up, amphetamine filled, sleep deprived maniacs.
That's sounds like what happened here. They went to the max offer (IIRC 400% of ticket price or in this case $800), and no one bit. Now the Airline has a choice. Inconvenience 4 people at ORD or 40-50 or even more people in L-ville.
Not to mention that Doc *expletive deleted*bag was screwing with the 40-50 people on the plane he was on. His antics caused a delay that may have costed those 40-50 people on his plane to miss connections.
And yeah, he's a *expletive deleted*bag. "I'm a physician." I'm more important the the rest of you peons. I'm ready to barf at the number of people that went into "They shouldn't bump a doctor, He's important !!" Nope, he's just like everyone else on that plane, no better, no worst. He played bump-off bingo and lost.
Plus, let's not lose sight of the entire Federal Felony he committed. You know the one they clearly state before every flight. About tampering with the bathroom smoke detectors not following the instructions of the crew. That's why the police were called.
and finally:
IT WAS NOT OVERBOOKED
contrary to what has been repeated in the media. The airline needed to re-position a crew. That takes priority over everything (if you read the fine print that you agree to when you click on "I accept", when you purchase your ticket.) *expletive deleted*it happens, if they don't get enough people to accept the goodies offered to be bumped, then the computer gets to pick. Those 40-50 people all took their chances, 4 lost. 3 accepted the results, grabbed their lovely parting gifts and went on their way. One decided he was more damn important then everyone on at least 2 aircraft. *expletive deleted*ck him.
And yeah, I've been bumped. Even by my own damn company. (Airborne Express, supposed to go to Wilmington for training and a meeting in the jumpseat in DC-8. They needed a crew, so I get left on the tarmac...sucked to be me.)
And got bumped two summers ago going to Charleston (voluntary as I was the last check-in). Got $800 from SWA and flew out 2 hours later. Well worth it.
And guess what. Now flight delays are going to rise, because when (not if) a situation like this arises again, people are going to play lawsuit lottery. (Doc *expletive deleted*bag says that to whomever he is speaking with on his phone, "Make a lawsuit against United" moments before the more famous video; when the United folks and Chicago Aviation Police were explaining the situation to him, before they put the Haebeus Grabbus on his dumb ass).
And what a *expletive deleted*tard. Not only was he willing to go up against the police, but the Chicago Aviation Police, which are off-duty Chicago PD. He must not watch the news...
The should arrest his ass the minute he walks out of the hospital. Oh, that's another thing. All those people that are screaming "What about his patients on Monday". Well, it's *expletive deleted*ing Thursday, and Doc Dumbass *expletive deleted*bag is still in the hospital here in Chicago. So that's four day's worth of patients he's not seeing, screwing up their lives, instead of one days (or less). Self-centered, self important, self righteous prick.
Yeah, and United's stock is pretty much recovered. Down no more than usual fluctuations in that stock.