Respectfully, I disagree - with part of this. For me I think it depends on how often he travels and for how long he's gone. Also the nature of his work could play a lot into availability.

If it's rare travel then absolutely I agree with you. If he's gone a lot with hours he can't control then this time might be very important to both the kids and their dad. I've raised my kids (same age difference btw) and have dealt this issue myself. A child's bedtime (in general) is very important but it doesn't trump the father/child relationship especially if the father is gone for extended periods of time. This is all my opinion. I fully understand where you're coming from though. I don't think OP has provided enough information though.