It turns out he was told 11 other pax made the connection OK and therefore he must have dallied, which he insists is untrue. He did not see any directions to a specific bus or any other sort of assistance, so getting on the "wrong" bus may be behind it.
To cap it off, he was told in-flight his luggage wasn't on board and it'll be delivered today.
He's sending in a complaint but not holding out much hope for success.