That seems like the most obvious solution to the problem.
I understand the "thoughts from a Pilot Wife" but all of that is a reflection of our overly-lawyered society. Yes, I'm sure there are 37 pages of fine print behind every airline ticket, and yes, if I were to read and memorize all 37 pages of fine print I could probably avoid these unpleasant situations.
But the only people who want to live in THAT type of society are the lawyers who are paid to write the fine print.
Just pay people to get off the plane. It's simple. It's relatively cheap. It's easy for anyone to understand.
Only 2 paragraphs matter in this case. UAL failed to follow them.
It would have been cheaper than having to eat a shit sandwich of crow after defending his employees in the morning, then refunding the fare for the passengers for a horrible mistake.
He should have said nuttin, etc, etc