I have stories like that, too. I had booked a flight from MSP to New Orleans -- out and back in a day to visit a relative who was dying -- before he died. About 11 pm the night before I got a call from NW telling me that my 6am flight to MSY had been cancelled but that I was protected on a later flight -- that wasn't going to work. I would have missed visiting hours in the hospital. I explained this to the agent on the phone who put me on hold and came back to let me know that I had been protected on a Midwest flight that would get me to New Orleans in time for hospital visiting hours.

And this was on free ticket that I'd gotten for a bump.

Or the night that I missed my connection to ONT. I was handed a boarding pass for the next morning and a hotel voucher as I got off the plane, but figured I'd just check. The ONT flight had already pushed back, but the agent at the next gate said "let me see what I can do" and got me on the last LAS flight of the day with a connection to ONT on an HP flight.

I'm sure there are folks at DL who will treat us that way as well, but I will miss the good treatment from NW.

tom