Jim Macklin wrote:
I just recall that out here in the "fly over country" FAA
towers with a scheduled air carrier flight due to arrive
stay open a few extra minutes. In the case of Raytheon
[Beech] their tower is private and they pay the bill. Most
towers are federal and the taxpayers pay the bill.
It is too bad that union rules, FAA rules and company
procedures could not work together to have the passengers in
comfort at their desired destination.

It's got nothing to do with the union. Here at BIL we never close so it
wouldn't be a factor but my last place, GFK, we were a 6am-midnight
operation. When we got there at 6 am there was usually a Fedex three
holer and a Northwest DC9 taxiing for takeoff. We were the third
releiver for MSP when the weather went to hell with snowstorms. I was
working the 4-12 one time when there was a blizzard in MSP. First
Rochester, then Fargo filled up with diverting jets. Then they came to
GFK. I kept the tower open an extra hour or so because of how many jets
landed, all with the intention of leaving after getting gas. That's
where the tower controller can help out. But one guy farting around in
bad weather? The tower controller wouldn't have affected anything one
way or the other.