The terms for breaking a contract need to be equitable
When you purchase a ticket, you're entering into a contract with the airline for SAFE carriage from point A to point B. Clearly the compensation package for breaking that contract at the convenience of the carrier needs to be increased. An $800 travel voucher would hardly compensate a physician for a day of lost revenue and angry patients. Likewise, blowing the schedule of a surgeon would not only hose him, but an entire OR schedule. The compensation doesn't have to be punitive, but it should be equitable, and it should be in cash, not in a voucher that might decrease in value as fares fluctuate. While I would probably have taken the $800 and crappy OHR hotel, this gentleman clearly had someplace to be. There had to be a better option than beating the hell out of him. If I were AA, my next ad campaign would feature the following: "At American, if we overbook we'll fatten your wallet, NOT your lip."