Being somewhat of a novice flyer still, I was just wondering (hoping more like) if there is any protocol for an airline when delays on their behalf cause you to miss a flight with another non-partner airline which has been ticketed completely separate from the first airline. To be specific, flying United to Frankfurt where I should have around 5 hours before my Tarom flight to Bucharest leaves. 5 hours isn't exactly a lot of time to play with in the flying world I know but it was the best I could come up with at the time. Now I'm getting a little worried. I'm assuming it's probably a case of "tough luck" if United delays cause me to miss that last flight but considering how little I know, maybe not? Or maybe Tarom might give me a break if I can give them such an iron-clad excuse as to why I missed their flight? Thanks for any enlightenment.