Then United should have left seats open, or gotten them there earlier.
***************
That’s one of the unanswered questions at this time as far as I know.
When did United know the Republic Express Crew was coming? Was it after
they had fininshed normal boarding or did they know sometime earlier?
Speculation: some UAL management policy might be pressuring ground crew to make economically short term beneficial but ultimately unsound decisions. It could take the form of an incentive or a penalty affecting the ground crew pay. If it is in writing then it would be more bad news for UAL upper management and the UAL CEO.
Another tidbit of info that makes one wonder what really happened.
snip
Joya Griffin Cummings watched as the passenger, identified as Dr. David Dao, was dragged
off the plane by officials, his face hitting an armrest on the way. His wife, Dr. Teresa Dao,
was sitting a row back and across the aisle, according to Griffin Cummings. She followed her
husband off the plane, but came back to grab their carry-on luggage — not crying, but definitely shook up
Griffin Cummings says David and Teresa initially agreed to volunteer and they deplaned together.
But the couple came back and returned to their seats quickly.
http://people.com/human-interest/wife-united-airlines-passenger-visibly-shaken-after-altercation/