Can't the computer system tell United who were the last 4 people to buy tickets to the flight and have them removed? Once a flight has been filled Airlines should be forced to tell further ticket buyers that they are purchasing tickets for an overbooked flight.
I remember an incident in 1968. I was flying military standby, in uniform, from Manhattan, KS (Fort Riley) to my home in Eugene, OR. We stopped in Boise. A white shirt and tie man from the airline got aboard and told me that someone needed to get on in Boise and that I was bumped.
I sat there for about thirty seconds and then told the man, “I think you are going to need more than just you to get me off this plane.”
It got real quiet.
The man got off and they finished refueling the plane and we took off for Eugene.
If they had offered me very much money to spend a night in Boise I sure would have taken it!
I like your idea. I've always thought that overbooking, which is essentially advertising and selling a product the company doesn't actually have to sell, is false advertising and thus fraud. At least if those at risk of bumping were informed at the time of purchase then they would know what they were getting into. The complication, though, is that others could cancel their reservations in the meantime which could change the equation.
What a great point!
United seems to have a culture of arrogance regarding its passengers.