Sorry about the hassles you encountered. It's happened to many of us.
Not sure why you think it's the airline's fault. You showed up at an airport where you didn't need a transit visa but then couldn't go forward because you didn't have a visa for your destination country and couldn't go in the country where you were because you didn't have a visa. Not the airline's fault.
What you experienced is an example of why most airlines check visas closely during your initial check-in. They end up being responsible for you if you are stranded like this. It happened to me once in Calcutta and I ended up sleeping on a bench in the airport for a day before the airline could get me out.
You're lucky that the airline was able to get the immigration official to bend the rules. The airline could have just flown you back to your starting point and let you figure out what to do about your luggage. I'd thank the airline for doing what they could to help you.
What airline?