DL may not have held the flight either. Delaying the plane can seem like a no-brainier especially for the last flights of the day but can have an impact the following morning due to crew rest requirements. Not to mention a delay is a delay - metrics don't really care why, and airlines compete on on-time performance.

DL does have a habit of doling out SkyPesos for almost all complaints, even the stupid ones. The amounts never make any sense either. Broken IFE/AVOD can get triple what a lengthy mechanical delay or cancellation does.