Hi, I just read on CNN.com that a new rule has been put into place that requires airlines to reimburse passengers bumped from oversold flights twice as much as previously. If someone has been delayed over 2 hours on a domestic flight, they are to be reimbursed $800. ($400 if it's less than two hours)

This announcement made me wonder about another, somewhat related question. Are airlines required to reimburse passengers for excessively long delays related to mechanical or personnel problems? It would seem to me that since those are things "somewhat" in control of the airline, there would be an argument for compensation of some sort by the airline, or at least an obligation to put passengers on a flight with one of thier competitors.

I had this happen to me once. I was scheduled on a United flight that was delayed almost 6 hours due to a "mechanical" problem, and I almost missed an interview because of it. Naturally, the gate assistants all magically disappeared as it became obvious that the flight was to be delayed several hours, and calling the customer service line just resulted in being on hold for over an hour before being disconnected. I was just wondering if an airline company has any sort of obligation to customers in situations like that.