Seems to me like a lot of pax are quickly learning the difference between moral obligations and legal obligations .. and LCC's are a whole lot more inclined to fall back on the latter when they are pushed.
It also seems to me that a lot of pax are flying literally by the seat of their pants, having to borrow money for sudden changes in plans, and allowing no time in case anything goes wrong.
There's lots of times I've travelled, whether it's by land, sea, or air, when things didn't go according to plan.
It's the nature of things, for important people to fall sick (the driver) at the worst possible moment, and for machines to break down (yes Virginia, 'planes are machines).
In the case of stagecoaches .. you not only stood a chance of the horse breaking a leg and dying .. you also stood a good chance of a brigand with a gun, relieving you of your valuables .. if you were lucky .. or your life, if you were really unlucky ..
I don't recall too many stagecoach co's getting hauled over the coals due to a severe lack of duty of care towards passengers. This is a late 20th and 21st Century phenomenon, raised, aided and abetted, by those who stand to gain the most - lawyers ..
Bottom line is .. pax need to keep some alternative backup plans available .. need to be a little less stressed about a delay or two .. and need to accept that airlines aren't totally infallible.
If they want perfect punctuality .. they can always go for the LCC that follows the KLM punctuality example of the mid 1970's .. and we all know, where THAT modality got them, don't we .. ?? (Tenerife - KLM 4805 and PanAm 1736) ..