re- ethics...They're a BUSINESS..Pax were quite entitled to refuse, but obviously NONE had read the t's & c's of their contract with the carrier.
for goodness' sake! they're supposedly adults!-As such, they don't need their hand held and their ass wiped for them.
IMHO Easy made the right business decision...they're not a damned charity. Any pax who sold-out "cheap" may well be retrospectively miffed...Tough cheddar! be a bit more savvy next time.
This incident DOES make a good case for what another poster jokingly suggested.....WEIGH each Pax and charge excess for excess weight!
if "standard" weight was set at a reasonable level ,I see no rational grounds for objection. Lighter pax will just enjoy a less cramped seat than their porkier fellow travellers.