Originally Posted by
iahphx
Here in the United States, if you arrive late for your domestic flight, most airlines will accomodate you on the next available flight (or at least I hope that's still the practice!).
But nobody seems to really know the international rules. We all presume that if you're flying an airline like Ryanair and you miss your flight, you'd be out of luck. But what if you're flying Ryanair to connect to (say) an Air France flight, and Ryanair cancels the flight and you can't make your Air France flight?
On a separate ticket (which is always the case with Ryan Air), you're out of luck.
There is no "flat tire" tolerance in Europe. Even with the same airline, but on separate tickets, you would be out of luck, except that some majors, such as Air France, usually rebook you without a penalty. But this is a tolerance and they could very well force you to buy a new, full-fare ticket.
Similarly, a non modifiable and non refundable fare is just that. You miss the plane, you lose everything. No credit whatsoever against the purchase of another ticket.
On the other hand, if you are stranded due to a weather problem, or like many passengers today, an ash cloud, European airlines must pay for your hotel room, meals, until they bring you to your destination.
Different markets, different customer expectations and different customer protection legislation and practices.