Show me the way to go home

OK, so here's the dilemma. We arrive in Detroit after an hour's delay at O'Hare Airport with the imminent departure of the connecting flight to Amsterdam. We need to get off the plane as quickly as possible. Naturally, in this situation, we are in the two rear seats on a particularly dismal claustrophobic NWA short hop flight. As the aircraft lands, we, unusually I might add, spring to our feet collect our bags and wait for to disembark.

There is a passenger standing in the aisle about four people in front of us who doesn't move forward. It takes us a while to realise, that he is actually letting EVERYONE who is in a seat in front of him off the plane before budging an inch! Now our dilemma is, that although we have an imminently closing gate we are also English and therefore not likely to shout "Excuse me my good man! we have a connecting flight to catch, could we kindly get past?".

We do manage a few "harumphing" noises though and after finally exiting the plane proceed on a heart bursting sprint to the connection gate with fellow passengers leaping out of our way. The gate however is already closed, our seats re-allocated, the plane is gone.

Just for the record, on NWA flights, you have to be on board 30 mins before departure, so we would have missed it anyway.