With all the WX on the east coast tonight, a couple friends have been posting on Facebook while their flights are delayed and held for ground stops.

One mentioned that the FAs on her flight were going down the aisle getting votes from pax on whether to wait on the apron or go back to the gate and deplane.

Seems to me that this would be a decision for ATC or the captain or the airline, but passengers wouldn't/shouldn't really have any input. If that's right, then what was going on here? Something to pass the time and help make a planeful of delayed pax feel marginally better about a WX delay?

I simply find it hard to believe that the decision to return to gate would actually be loose enough to just say, "Aww, heck. What do all y'all want to do?"