Is airline obligated to pay for a hotel if it doesn't get you to a connecting flight
 

My daughter and her friend are flying AA from HDN (Yampa Valley/Steamboat Springs CO) to ORD and then on to BOS. The first flight is delayed due to weather. If she misses her connection and is stuck overnight in Chicago, does AA need to pay for her hotel?

I've suggested she and her friend look to rebook, but don't seem to be getting traction there.

Thanks.

Mods: Not sure whether this should be in an AA forum or another forum. Feel free to move if I got it wrong.

No. Weather is not AAs (or any airlines) responsibility. If the delay/missed connection is due to Maintenance or fault of the airline, then they would.

Does your daughter or friend have trip insurance or a credit card that provides such?

If the delay is due to weather, AA is not obligated to provide overnight accommodations on this itinerary. An exception would be if the flight to ORD got diverted, and then cancelled after reaching the diversion airport.

Some credit cards provide trip-delay coverage, which would pay for overnight lodging if a connection were missed, and the airline refused to provide accommodations.

Thanks. Not sure what card this was charged on. Undoubtedly they don't have tip insurance.

AA has them with a backup reservation on a later flight out of ORD so they can get either the flight they are listed on (which they would in the likely event that it too will be delayed) or the next one. Not sure which cards provide trip delay coverage (Amex Plat, Chase Sapphire Reserve and the like?). Are there non-premium cards with that kind of coverage? She's 24 and a nurse practitioner so not likely to get a card without $500 annual fee.

For future reference, yes, mostly high end credit cards offer delay/cancellation protection, and each has different rules regarding hours and connections.

Not associated with TPG, but here's a quick reference: https://thepointsguy.com/guide/cards...reimbursement/

Does she travel a lot? The Chase Sapphire Reserve, which I am a big fan of, has a 450 annual fee but a 300 travel credit per year which makes it effectively 150 per year. That has trip coverage, which I have used several times and come out ahead as a result (not factoring in the points, which is also awesome)

Thanks. I meant to say that she is unlikely to get a card with a $500 annual fee. I can see a few cards with $95 annual fees (Chase Sapphire Preferred and JetBlue Plus) and even a free card (JetBlue MC) that provide this delay insurance. [As an aside, her BF has tried to rent a car (she's not yet old enough) and none of their credit cards have useful insurance. The Chase card also makes auto rental primary, which is excellent.]

I fly a lot and should know this stuff but have high-end cards, high-ish status on various airlines, and an exec assistant whose job is to make my life work smoothly so this info is valuable.

Antarius, she is just starting to travel on her own (I took her all over the world while she was growing up and a year or so ago gave her a FF ticket to SE Asia for a few months when she finished a very tiring five year program), but I suspect she will travel as her job and income allow. She was in Toronto for a wedding in the summer, in Portugal in November (?), in Mont Tremblant for skiing (but I think they drove) and is now returning from Colorado. She is going to apply for Global Entry, which may be part of the $300 travel credit. I will suggest the Chase Sapphire Reserve to her.

Global Entry is on top of the 300. So for year one it is 450 - 300 (credit) - 100 (GE) = 50 bucks. ^

Until she gets Global Entry, I recommend the mobile passport app. It is free and is great for clearing Immigration and Customs.,

My wife uses the Mobile Passport app while I have Global Entry. We typically fly First Class so we are usually one of the first in line at Customs and usually clear at the same time.

It's been a few hours and hopefully your daughter has resolved the situation, yet it's not uncommon for flight delays in the winter in Chicago. The snow/cold today isn't as bad as tomorrow is forecasted, yet I'd always advise to use a hotel app on your phone to make a reservation once you know you're not going out that night. There is a hotel connected to O'hare - the hotel website is Hilton Chicago O'Hare Airport Hotel, and there are still rooms available tonight @ $239/night.

Good luck!

danbrew, thanks. My daughter got to ORD a few hours late and got on the backup flight. The delay in Chicago was mechanical, but fortunately, she'll get home tonight.

If it's .mechanical issue, then the airline is responsible for a hotel, meal vouchers, transit to the hotel, etc. However, as others noted, if it's weather, you're on your own unless you have credit card/other insurance.

Shawbridge. Wow a FF ticket to Asia. In case you are interested I am available for adoption. A little bit older than your daughter but am well behaved. Won't ask for much just a little trip once in a while.