I wonder if the outcome would have been different if the OP held their ground at the gate and said this is not my problem, you guys are are Star Alliance & JV partners and I have boarding passes...so either board us or you can off-load us from the flight and retrieve our bags. The GA would then have to decide between delaying the flight by 15-30 while pax and their bags were offloaded or boarding them (provided the GA could override the said ticketing issue).