I am not Ben Chafetz, but yes, they should have made every effort to arrive early, changing flights (before inconveniencing the heck out of everyone) if necessary.
On the same chat groups every Jew is reminding each other to avoid Thursday night trips eastward to Israel in the winter (with the frequent delays and early sunsets)
What are the rules for say slower modes of transportation. I know most the the Ultra-Orthodox are from families who immigrated from Eastern Europe to the US during the great wave of immigration the preceded World War I. I was curious what happened if someone is on a ship crossing the Atlantic to come to America.