I'm not knocking you for your thoughts at all.
But, assuming that your parents had to pay for a flight to Spain and then a hire car....
....would it not have been easier to put their feet up, stay in ACE for an extra week or three and get repatriated in due course? It sounds like they can afford an extra few nights in a hotel to me.
If your folks are getting on in years, I assume they are retired. Hence time should not have been a concern. A phone call a day to check in with them would have been a lot less hassle!!
Glad you got them home safely nevertheless.
