yes agree this is a horror story and one relevant to many of us who do these type of trips. I have just added up that I have done 7 ex EU trips over the past 3-4 years. 6 out of 7 I have done same day connections with a good size time buffer between connecting flights. One I did night before only because the flight next day left Prague early morning. For me and by pure luck I have never had an issue outbound and of late have had a back up should my LHR flight gone bottom up. I did have an issue on one trip returning to Vienna and connecting onto BA where I was bounced off the flight due to a mix up in transfers and OLCI . in this instance BA admitted it was their failure and re- booked me home via Munch the same day as all other direct flights were full. They also paid up 250 euros eu compensation as well as booking me into a higher booking class so benefited from extra Tier points and miles. so was a good result as I arrived back in London 5 hours later than I should have. that said the OP's account has left me with some food for thought if I book an ex EU trip again. OP was actually stuck on the aircraft dues to the mechanical failures for an extended period of time. This may well negate implementation or any back up plan as you are stuck abroad a plane- a concept I never considered. It may well be fine for a contingency if you have pre-knowldge of a delay / cancellation and are at the gate / airside / on way to airport where you can divert , but actually boarded and stuck could be tricky. this was further highlighted to me last weekend when I was returning from Lisbon ( not an ex EU trip) and got caught up in the French ATC replays. The crew boarded us all and we were stuck on board for an hour and a half but were expecting three hours . they needed to be ready should a slot become available. So commiserations to OP and I hope you get insurance to pony up but thanks for sharing and giving me further thoughts on planning in the future.