Yet what of the idiot who knows that a parent is very ill and still goes off on a ski week instead of being cautious and staying near home just in case something happens? I do NOT suggest this is the case for any who have posted here, but there are people who take unreasonable risks expecting that others will help if needed, instead of avoiding the risk in the first place.
I second this. It's wonderful that you feel good about the captain who showed some humanity. But you have to realize that there is real cost, pain and money associated with this for EVERYBODY ELSE ON THE PLANE. In my job, I see a lot of people wrestling with decisions that will hurt one person, but make life better for 100 or more. And the answer is always, tough for that one person, let's help him/her as much as we can, but we have to save 100 jobs, not one. This delay was small, and anybody, including me, would be happy to be a bit late out of compassion for this person. But please don't extrapolate to "I wait for the idiot who lost his passport", or "I delay 100 people just because I think we shouldn't screw one passenger". As an employee of a company, every pilot should also feel a responsibility to the company to get stuff done and make money. Because: Bad performance, no customers. No customers, bad financials. Bad financials, no investors. No investors, no jobs.
Yes, compassion is good, and this was a good decision that anybody would back. But this doesn't mean pilots should just wait for any late passenger just because they feel like it.