Originally Posted by
Hotel Tango
Further to WHBM's post, there's the distinct possibility that the ground staff did not stipulate "next flight" but "next available flight". In other words, the next flight which shows available seats. Most passengers will only hear "next flight" and are not aware of the catch. This subtle difference should also be made abundantly clear when asking volunteers to give up their booked seats.
I'm just second guessing, of course, but I suspect that the doctor's initial acceptance and subsequent rejection of the offer(s) made revolves around this point. And I agree completely that full and frank disclosure of those conditions needs to be prioritised when explaining any such offer to the "bumpee".
Most passengers will only hear "next flight" ? Maybe.
Or maybe that's exactly what they offered, initially.
Maybe they only explained the full implications (flight next day) when further queried by the good Dr.
That's an equally distinct possibility and is just the sort of sequence that would stimulate my ire.
Might even make me recalcitrant or, worse still, belligerent.
Whichever way it was explained, and that detail is not terribly important, it seems evident that the doctor would probably have been ready to accept "next flight" but to not accept "next available flight" if that was going to mean "late the next day".