Disclaimer: I have done significant work for Alaska Airlines, I think they're extremely well run and genuinely committed to their customers. 

When I was a young missionary returning home from Europe, I had a direct flight to Los Angeles on Air France and an early evening Delta flight from LAX to my home in the Northwest, where dozens of relatives from around the Western United States had gathered to welcome me home. 

We sat on the tarmac at Charles de Gaulle for over two hours and my arrival into LAX was significantly delayed. I tried to race through customs and immigration as fast as I could with two gigantic suit cases, but alas, Delta was already wheels up.  Realizing how desperate and naïve a freshly finished, all alone missionary, name tag, suit and all, is, ground staff had pity on me and looked to find that there was one last flight for the day that could get me to my destination that evening, on Alaska.

A female Alaska representative quickly commanded a young worker to take one of my bags and run with me to the Alaska gate where doors were already closed, but they reopened the doors for me and reattached the bridge, which was being pulled away (which virtually NEVER happens) and they rushed me and my two gigantic bags into the cabin.

They held the bags in the cockpit, but we were so rushed that there was no time to contact my parents while on the ground, and I had ZERO American money or plastic, but a kindhearted crew member took out her credit card and paid the $11.95/minute phone call to inform my parents of the change of arrival.

At no point did anyone ask for my name or money, this was a time of paper tickets and no transferable electronic PNR between competing airlines. In fact there was zero record I was actually on that Alaska flight. They just knew it was the right thing to do and bent over backwards to get me home on my big day.