Thanks, all.
I didn't realise that the 321's range would be marginal, thinking that it's comparable to the 757.
It just seemed mightily odd that it tech. stopped, then went AOG. Maybe the fuellers snapped the key off in the filler cap... :-)
As for the passenger side..... jeepers! It would make the combined efforts of Mr Bean, Homer Simpson, and The Chuckle Brothers look like a special forces operation.
Agreed, you can't always be ready for diverts at 0300L, but the lack of communication, joined-up thinking, and general confusion was astonishing. I've worked on the ground, and had to deal with delays, sudden diverts, etc, so would like to think I've some background on all this, but my wife's experience would make a great case study of "how not to do it".