And what exactly would your credit card insurance have covered had it gone to 4h and a few minutes? A meal...that's it. What would you have expected to claim? (Seems you did better than most on those flights: you had access to the MLL, you stuffed your face with food and guzzled a few litres of alcohol..played pong on the PCs...) If not, you have my sincere sympathies for the distress you suffered because .... happens, particularly when airplanes go technical and weather does what weather often does!

But you're correct. This was a vast conspiracy on the part of AC and the insurance industry to defraud you of your god-given right to a few pennies from their pockets. TAUPO's advice was quite sage...take the blows when they come and go with the flow, it's not worth the high stress level you're creating for yourself.

And MPs, etc. cannot be comp'd SE status because that would be a violation of conflict of interest rules. AC if a private, federally regulated company and providing them with anything valued at more than $25 must be reported and declared by them. MPs and Senators earn SE just like you and I...by flying an awful lot. And if they happen to be sitting in the front cabin it may be for a variety of reasons, but most often they've upgraded just like you or I...on certs, or now using Latitude Passes.