4 or 5 minutes is not enough time. Not your fault, I know...but it is the agent's and ultimately that supervisor's responsibility to launch that flight on time. Getting anyone off that flight and getting your group of 5 on would've certainly meant taking a delay of at least a minute or two. I know that doesn't sound like much. But 1 minute is almost as bad as 10 when it comes to coding delays, especially the kind that this delay would've been.... a passenger service delay. Unfortunately (or fortunately dependent upon your point of view), management at AA will not view a passenger service delay as a good outcome for getting 5 customers on a flight when there are other options for ultimately getting those customers to their final destination within a somewhat reasonable timeframe.

Given AA's midling on-time performance of late, I'm sure the staff is getting beaten about the face and neck everyday about getting the door closed and the flights launched. As to whether any of this is the best way, I won't say, but it is the way it is right now.