Kinda depends on whose fault it is. Usually, it is the airline's fault for not leaving on time in the first place and if you have a tight connection, you're Hillary'ed.
More than likely, Franken wasn't the only one in line who had a connecting flight to make. In fact, Beck said he had a connecting flight to make as well. No one else in line asked for special treatment. Franken wasn't asking them to hold the flight, he was asking them to let him go ahead of everyone else. The problem with making an exception for Franken means that everyone else in line making a connection, would then expect to be pushed ahead in line. You open up a whole can of worms when you make exceptions for certain people. Everyone should be treated the same.