flyerCO

It wouldn't have. However some here like to believe that it some how would. Apparently DL could fly into an airport that a foreign carrier couldn't.

Same thing would be true in reverse. If there was need for diversion in China, DL would be in same position as CZ in US. However some chose to ignore that reality.

ijgordon

Exactly. Color me impressed they managed to get all those cots in the hotel ballroom, with amenity kits!

TheMadBrewer

I bet the hotel had a plan ready -- a good guess that some airline without local presence would sometime divert to ORD. A quick call to CZ "Hey, we can handle XXX people overnight for $Y/head -- are you interested"

MSPeconomist

In your particular example, my guess is that DL would first try to divert to DTW, or alternatively MSP or ATL rather than ORD. Even if a large DL flight were to land at ORD, many people would already be rebooked automatically for connections from ORD through DTW/MSP (there's a flight every couple hours to each of these hubs), although if JFK is closed, there won't be any flights at all going there, on any carrier, until it reopens, although DL would have options through its hubs to LGA, EWR, HPN, PHL, BDL, etc. if someone wants to take a flight to some other airport in the area that's open.

AFAIK CZ still interlines with AA but DL does not, so AA flights would be an option in CZ's flavor and there should be lots of such flights from ORD, although in massive IROPs, it would be difficult to get seats even if CZ is willing to rebook customers on nonpartner flights.

ijgordon

The OP didn't clear immigration at ORD until after midnight. Not sure what time they landed but they were on the tarmac at 9pm. What kind of re-routing would you have expected at that time?
He would have been in almost the exact same situation -- stranded overnight at an unexpected airport. And frankly, I wouldn't have put it past DL to just cancel the rest of the flight and rebook people to JFK (or wherever) but I imagine the flights were all so full to begin with (as you note) it probably would have taken days to get home. And AA wouldn't be an option (and given it was a weather issue they may not have interlined at all). At least CZ had to get the a/c back to JFK pronto, after the crew had its rest (and the airport reopened).
I think the OP should have a little perspective about the "lesson" learned. Of course I'm sure it sucked, and may have literally been the worst travel experience of his life (probably would have been for me), but it's not really a CZ issue.