AA Pilot shows amazing empathy

[Oscarq]

Flying AA DCA-PHL-LIS last week thunderstorms delayed DCA flight for four hours. As we taxied AA app advised our LIS flight was boarding. Crikey !@#$! The USA 4th July holiday period had commenced and most flights fully booked. Nothing showing in all classes with EF for any airline the next few days to Lisbon let alone anywhere else. We land Terminal "F" needed to be "A" at the other end of building, PHL app advises 20 min bus & walk or 45 Min walk, race to the transfer gate out of breath hissing "Lisbon Flight" Attendant says missed it, whilst fumbling for his device, points to second bus radios the driver & sends the bus with just the two of us. Oh! I like this personal service. Watching AA app flight updates to departed. Out of bus decided to go for gate which was one of the furthest. Arrive to find about 15 passengers, boarding doors locked, no staff, air bridge retracted and tow tug ready to push. The very exuberant mum of family says we have been here 20 minutes doing star jumps to attract pilots attention from which he gave them a thumps up. They had been speaking with friends on the plane who confirmed pilot announced he was seeking permission to reopen for boarding. About 10 minutes after we arrived airbridge starts moving back, staff arrive & process us to board. By this stage the group was about 25 persons from delayed flights. CSM removed upgraded pax from our J seats .. not happy pax .. door closed and departed. CSM was great offering water as we boarded & great service throughout, seat never felt so cosy after this adrenalin rush. The pilot announced for late comers that a deal of effort went into delay, recalculation of weights & boarding paper work, shorter route mapped from AA flight operations to save 30 min eliminating taking on extra fuel, gate staff recalled, longer flight day for crew. We thanked all the AA staff profusely. This was a major decision by the pilot to leave 1.5hrs late. We expected to be in PHL for days. Thank you immensely AA.
PS. Our luggage arrived the next day & saw more of Lisbon suburbs than ourselves.
NB. The PHL-LIS flight had been delayed due to the DCA storm moving & impacting PHL, but this also had an impact on our departure receiving landing clearance. Whilst we sat DCA our plane had diverted & was at Dulles airport about 10 minutes away.