I keep thinking back to the Winter of 2006 when we got 3.5-4 feet of snowfall in Colorado a few days before Christmas. Luckily (maybe) the first time I'd ever paid for a First Class ticket but I was due to fly home to HNL for Christmas the morning after the snowfall. Woke up and saw all the airports in Colorado were flat out closed so I called into United and after a bit (long story but another reason I stick with United), got booked to go out the next day. Still had delays that morning with a ground hold at DEN preventing my commuter flight to DEN from departing but the GA at my regional airport said the flights out should be similarly delayed.
We finally took off about an hour and half after the scheduled time, landed at DEN and taxied forever but finally got to our gate. I was hustling through the jetramp when I heard "final boarding for flight ## to Honolulu" and thought it was a lost cause but still did the OJ Simpson run through the terminal to get to gate 42. As I approached, the smiling gate agent there looked at me, greeted me and asked if I was heading for Honolulu. As I nodded, she told me I could walk and catch my breath. Think they closed the door after me but I was extremely grateful for them holding the door. I see this announcement as a return to that kind of customer service -- and holding the door for me really didn't delay the flight (another long story) but it sure made my mother happy that I got home in time for Christmas.