Interesting conversation I heard taking place on Brissy ground frequency yesterday morning about 1015:
(not word for word but along these lines...)
United xxx: Ahh Brisbane ground, United xxx we need some help here, we've been left at the gate now for about 2 hours with pax on board, and if we don't get them off soon we're gonna have a mutiny on our hands. Can you get someone to help us please?
Ground Controller: Okay, we'll see if we can make some calls for you and find some help. Who does your ground handling here?
United: We are handled by QF. We need to maybe get some busses out here to get the pax off.
GC: Okay well we're not a bus company up here you know, have you tried calling QF for assistance?
United: Yes we have but they don't have any spare staff left to help us. Please can you do something, the pax are angry and we really need to get them off.
GC: Sorry mate, not much I can do. I suggest you give QF another call.
Obviously with 2 United 747s and probably a couple of QF 747s turning up unscheduled, resources were stretched to the limit. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to be a crew member (or a pax for that matter) on any of these flights.