I was recently thinking about the United Airlines forcible deplaning incident.
If this sort of thing happens again, should there be a policy; whether pressured by governments or by consumer activism; to deplane only whomever has the least urgent reason to get to their destination? (Eg. Someone who isn't in a rush, but just doesn't like waiting in an airport?) I would think that is an improvement over picking at random.
Of course, the above is all "within the premise that overbooking is here to stay." It may or may not be. That said, I can see the value in overbooking; for a predicted number of no-shows, making sure all seats are filled not only saves money, but reduces use of fossil fuels by getting more people to their destination for a comparable amount of kerosene. It's inconvenient for people who have to wait for the next flight, but "town flooded by climate change" is also inconvenient. Also, fossil fuels won't last forever, but the more we conserve them, the longer they'll last.
