Star Alliance - Advice needed: SAA flight cancelled

My son was due to fly DUR-JNB today, en route back to Orlando. The flight was cancelled, I believe due to weather.

He is with a group, and the best they could do was get them on the Saturday flight JNB-IAD. The group arranged travel to/from Atlanta, and he is on a seperate AirTran ticket from MCO to ATL. Airtran wont help in anyway. It will be cheaper to buy another ticket than to work with them.

It is a SAA ticket, so even though the IAD-ATL leg is UA, they won't help.

SAA (US res #) says they can't help, because it is a seperate ticket.

The cheapest solution I have found is $180 from IAD straight to MCO.

SAA has to fly him from IAD-ATl on UA, I was hoping to talk them into flying him IAD-MCO. I feel that if it was me at the airport in SA, I would have a pretty good chance.

Any advice that doesn't require buying a new ticket?

SAA has to fly him from IAD-ATl on UA, I was hoping to talk them into flying him IAD-MCO. I feel that if it was me at the airport in SA, I would have a pretty good chance.

Any advice that doesn't require buying a new ticket?

Always the risk when you have two tickets. Airlines in general are not very accommodating when something goes wrong and it is not their PNR.

Talking them into flying him directly to MCO is the biggest chance you have. Give it a try, maybe it can still be done. There is no right for your son to get re-directed but maybe someone shows a bit of goodwill.