Perhaps, but there is a distinct difference between perception and reality. There have been some studies done and folks are generally more inclined to accept delays and problems so long as they are kept informed of what is going on. So a flight delayed 30 minutes with no explanation would have passengers more upset than a flight delayed 60 minutes but with announcements every 15 during the delay explaining the situation and what the next steps were.

Even if there is nothing definitive - "We're working on it and should have some more info soon" - feeling like you're being informed really does help in this sort of situation. Were the pilots working on getting the passengers out of there? I'm sure they were. Would the passengers have benefited from that 15 second announcement that might not have actually included any truly useful information? I believe so.