Originally Posted by
cepheid
Well, no, you're not "on your own" ... the airline still has to get you to where you're supposed to be going (eventually), so they still have to help you get rebooked, rerouted, whatever. However, they don't necessarily (i.e. won't, unless you're a 1K) have to cover hotel costs if you need to overnight (in non-airline-at-fault cases).
(My comments in bold.)
You're right -- I didn't mean to suggest that the airline won't rebook you, just that that's
all they're responsible for with weather delays causing misconnects. If the next available flight is 3 days from now because of cancelations, high loads, etc., it's up to you to figure out where you're going to wait until that flight, and IME, the most the airline will do is give you "distressed traveler" info so that you don't have to pay the absolute highest rates for a last-minute hotel.
The point I was trying to make about direct flights is that a delay (for any reason) in your through city is essentially like a nonstop flight being diverted. The airline will take care of you until they get you to the destination for that flight, including hotels, meals, etc.