“When you board a boat or ship the captain is THE authority.”
That authority is not that of a dictator. When you buy a ticket for a boat, a ship OR a plain, that ticket is/represents a contract and there are, in the fine print, terms of service that not only obligate the passenger, but the crew, including the captain. The captain’s authority to tell a passenger to do anything the captain wants is limited to the terms and conditions agreed to. In the case at hand, involuntarily removing a boarded passenger from the plane must meet United’s own terms and conditions. The conditions in this case did not meet those terms.
The ticket is a contract and gives you standing in a civil court. The Captain says get your butt off my plane, then you go. Deal with it like an adult and not psycho retard.