Last month, a friend of mine was on a flight SFO-ORD. They diverted to MKE because of storms around O'Hare. He was able to hop off in MKE, change his rental car pickup and drive to his hotel in the far northern suburbs of Chicago.
He had only a carry-on, so no issue with the bags.
I think if they actually go to a gate after landing instead of sitting in a penalty box somewhere, you'd be able to at least ask to be let off.