erm.......surely without the exact details from the cockpit crew we have no way of judging the merits or otherwise of the decision.
On a general note, I agree with JetII's explanation.
flapless, in an ideal world what you say also holds true, but falls apart when you're faced with the prospect of a destination with no engineering cover. Then the nightmare truly begins at three in the morning trying to organise outsourced engineers, spare parts etc. and explaining your decision to the company blah blah blah. I've seen delays of two or three days as a result of this sort of thing. The knock on effects can be enormous.
buzzc152, in answer to your question, in view of the above points, a company will generally take the option that causes the least overall disruption, with safety obviously taking priority over everything else.