This specific situation just happened to me last week with the typhoon in OKA. We were booked for OKA-HND-LAX 3 of us in business class on august 1st, got a txt and email the day before saying flight from OKA-HND was cancelled. Fine not a big deal, however when I called Jal and mentioned that i have a connection that I will not be able to make they told me to contact AA about it since it was there ticket and all. JAL basically said your on your own unless you wanna buy a cash ticket and was for $3000 per person in coach and then those tickets would also be waitlisted. Jal said they can't help me, but they were able to find something October for me. I said that was just insane. Anyways after fighting with them, I told them that my tourist visa was going to expire soon. They called me back later saying they found something for me for August 8th because they wanted to make sure that I could leave and not have any troubles with my visa expiring before I leave. Only then they were able to help me and even put me in Business class as what we originally had.

The entire time american airlines was working with me to find stuff, but whatever aa found Jal would not release the tickets for AA to book, they said they are only doing cash tickets.

Anyways all is fine now since Im back on american soil. But this situation really put a very sour taste in my mouth with them on the back end of the company.

My question to you guys now is though, should I file a complaint with the DOT about the situation or not? Because they basically left me high and dry.