So the airline sells a last minute ticket and after the customer pays, the airline's agent initiates steps to coerce the ticket holder from enjoying the travel he just purchased. All in the name of profit. Sounds unfair, deceptive and damaging to me, exactly the sort of thing that ruins reputations and balance sheets.

It's like the big boy version of a venue that has an employee who tips of a tow company to have people's cars towed without sufficiently good reason and gets a kickback for it.