United, Chicago (airport) police, Air Marshals, TSA... This is ridiculous. Someone else was in their seats, nothing mentioned about getting that person out. They did, in my opinion, the right thing, find nearby available seats. No where did it say that these were taken or exit row (airlines get specific about those seats). I fly Delta and when there are empty seats, or if someone happens to be in a seat, the air crew have always in my 25+ years of flying them and other airlines, always encouraging to just find a seat. No brainer. United though, resorts again to thugs, this time making the Air Marshals do their dirty work. Shame on them. (And again, trying to soil the reputation of their passengers.)
Yup, the stew could have had the sleeping guy move to whereever he belonged and the couple would have had their seats. Or the stew could have just realized it’s really not a big deal where they sit in a half empty plane. Calling in Air Marshalls should have been the last thing that would come to mind.