Whatever pilots may think of this, as a person who pays to be flown I consider it absolutely unacceptable.
This is the first sane comment I have heard about the unavailability of certain ground-based equipment. It's like arguing over whether the fish escaped though the hole in the net or not. Maybe it did and maybe it didn't. The fact remains that the fisherman pays the net-maker for a hole-free net because that way he is guaranteed that the fish can't escape that way. Passengers have every right to demand to fly into an airport with all the available safety equipment working regardless of whether the pilot needs it or not; that's what they are paying for.
Safety first does not mean "safety unless the airport operator thinks it's too much bother".