“ SIONE T...You're assuming the passenger was a Buddy Pass rider, which would be a misnomer. "Non-revenue" (NR) passengers are not considered "confirmed" or "paid" passengers, and are not given confirmed reservations prior to boarding.
1) NRs are not cleared to board until all "confirmed" passengers are given seats.
2) NR riders can go to the boarding gate with the understanding that they may not get on the flight, for lack of available seats, aircraft weight restrictions, cabin crew deadhead riders, etc.
3) According to the media report (accurate or inaccurate), the passenger was advised she would be denied boarding because of the aircraft weight restrictions. This is not her problem, since Air New Zealand and their "agents" accepted payment from the passenger, and had given her a receipt: A contract for a business transaction.
4) The report also stated that volunteers were solicited to give up their seats in lieu of "denied boarding" compensation. This is standard procedure for airlines in the case of an "oversold" flight, or unexpected "weight restrictions" situation, etc.
5) In any case, confirmed passengers may not be told to go home and come back another day. International passenger rights are violated by a huge nationally-owned airline.
6) And International carriers often get away with murder because individual passengers cannot fight management wrong decisions at the airport. ”