Thanks!
For me, it was pure absolute coincidence that I posted on here checking on coterminal SDC and then I actually had an unexpected event that made a flight from the coterminal the only option that would work. I would not have risked anything like this - going to a wedding that I need to attend and was not going to consciously risk getting onto flight where I was not booked.
That being said, a few observations:
1. In my situation, I was NOT posting to say "Delta did what it should have done by giving me a waiver and favor" - I was impressed that they did and praising them for recognizing the situation and going truly above and beyond. As I said upthread, I wasn't even going to ask for return flight to be changed - was already thinking about how to get from FNT to DTW to get my car. My post was a total complement to Delta
2. In other situations, delta does not "risk" much with electricity going out every other week - they do document these occurrences. About 6 years ago I accidentally left my passport at home and delta changed my flight and waived fee. That was last time something like this happened. If someone's electricity goes out every week, they would know!
3. Given load factors now, I doubt very many people would take a risk in booking in FNT, not show up, and expect Delta to move them onto flight to DTW. I was a good example - it took 3 tries to make it happen even when it was for a good reason.