United Bit the PR Big One
 

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/06/travel...html?hpt=hp_t3

They bumped a 90 year old Pearl Harbor vet from his flight to Honolulu for the ceremonies. Only other person bumped was in a wheelchair.

Regardless of first come first serve policies, the vet should have been placed on the flight, exceptions have been made in the past, and it's likely this gent wasn't going to get to next year's ceremonies.

The ADA will have a field day with the other bumped passenger.

41 passengers IDB'd and its HI in December so the winds must have made routing a nightmare.
Sensational journalism indeed. 40 other people have a story and for them its just as important and compelling. The rules are spelt out very clearly I don't buy that airlines need to make special exceptions. Airlines fly 10's of thousands of people a day there are literally thousands of people that have a "special" exception then - the transplant surgeon, the family seeing a dying relative, the father rushing home to see a birth, job interview, etc.
I get the vet angle... I'm a former Naval Officer/Academy grad. You put the uniform on, you serve humbly and with humility - meaning you don't whine or seek special treatment.

This is hilarious. Anyone who's been on this forum for awhile is fully aware of my position concerning the military and the airlines.

There are exceptions for every situation. Airlines do make them for some of the very situations you mentioned. I've seen it first hand many times.