not the handling agent at fault at all,real catch 22 situation alot of the airlines policy is to board for an ontime departure and to try and bring the slot forward but very hard when the whole atc system is down as we all know and as for boarding for an ontime departure yes it can work but you also can end up with a riot on board and accusations of we are being held prisoner!
the other point i would add is not matter what you can say at the gate area someone always wanders of or finds a little world of their own to fall asleep or gets to comfy in the bar!
its also just as hard for the airline, in the day and age of high fuel prices they are trying to flight plan the best route possible without getting their knuckles rapped and overspending on the fuel bill and you usually find its no more than 2 people working in an atc cell for an airline so when dealing with an airline the size of ryr,ab,ezy or tui in that situation you are up against it trying to get your acft away,as is also the handlers job trying to balance the staff and equipment to get everyone away and no airline or handler is better than anyone at trying to get the flights away its a case of hardwork and teamwork for the respective company with believe it or not the passengers at heart .
its a nightmare scenario to be in working or as a pax and one i dare say we go through time and time again,like all things everything breaks down now and then,and isnt it better to have safety than disaster.
aviation at the moment is going through a tough time and will do so for the next year or so,but then so is everyone else so instead of finger pointing or bickering then we should all at least stick together and try and lift each others morale from which i have read on this thread people appear to be doing that.
best of luck everyone