A diversion, in this circumstance, seems totally unjustified...and to those pilots justifying martinet behavior, in the name of pilot solidarity, again, sadly, you undermine the profession...
One can never really know the result of a 'path not taken'. It is clear though that this was a captain without a crew. If the account above is correct, the First Officer saw fit to complain to the stewardesses: "the Captain made us call him Captain!"
"in this case (United), what were the cabin crew to do, other than what they did?"
a whole lot, I would imagine.
For starters, they could have behaved less like childish little
with playground scores to settle, or whiny bitches, maybe, if they saw that the "captain had a problem-or they with him" refuse to fly - especially from Mia on. That itself is the most damming part of this spectacle to an onlooker. I would say, the minute the plane was landed safely in Mia, they should either have authorities seize the plane, the captain but not continue merrily on. Anything else seems somewhat hollow and false to me.