In this case, and in some of the others that have been written about in this thread, it's clear what the "right" thing to do is.
The problem is, where do you draw the line?
Isn't it possible that someone else who had an emergency at home and was unable to get on a flight because of one delay or another and arrived 5 minutes before the "departure time", and the gate was closed and the plane was backing out, and no-one waited for them, so they got home to their emergency too late, and who knows, their emergency could have been just as important to them as this was to these people?
I am proud to be a human being when other human beings stand up for and do things to help other human beings.
I just wonder how do you know where to draw the line? How much is enough?