When do the airlines provide accommodation?
 

I'm sure this is a rookie question – I've heard airlines provide free accommodation on long layovers. Is there a certain cutoff when this is usually the case? If not, are the vast majority of flights with overnight layovers given free accommodation by the airline?

Probably not the best person to answer this as I have never experienced this, but it is rare if never that an airline will provide an accommodation for free if you have an overnight layover due to weather, although they might provide one/a discount out of goodwill, but this always doesn't happen. If you book a flight with an overnight connection, they will not give you one because they assume you booked it knowing you would have to book a hotel. If it is caused my a mechanical delay/cancellation, then I believe they are obligated to provide you a hotel. Hope this helps.

When do the airlines provide accommodation?
 

Or OP may be referring to overnight connection as booked, even without delay. The only time I have heard of this is some specific airlines in PAID first class on long haul international travel. Even then airline specific.

No, the answer is exactly the opposite of what OP seemed to think. Most overnight layovers do not receive any hotel room, that is up to you.

Agree with above that with delays, sometimes this is done for mechanical delays but generally not for weather. Sometimes the high level elite passengers will get special consideration, but not the masses.

While this was often the case many years ago it no longer is. There are some airlines or airports where tours or accommodations are offered on overnight connections but the accommodations one is much less common now.

QR still provides it at DOH in some cases: http://www.qatarairways.com/global/e...mmodation.page.

TK does, too: http://www.turkishairlines.com/en-in...rvice-requests.

And EK: http://www.emirates.com/us/english/p...i-connect.aspx.

Some other airlines sell layover packages with presumably good hotel rates. Singapore and Icelandic come to mind.

I have personal experience with TK. Worked like a charm in economy tickets. Lots of waiting both for hotel voucher and during hotel checkin, but definitely worth it.

Does JL still do it? It has been a while - maybe it was 2012 - but I also recall that I had to ask them about it (...as opposed to them suggesting that a hotel was included).

EY is one of these as well: http://www.etihad.com/en/plan-and-bo...reevisa-offer/.

When do the airlines provide accommodation?
 

AC too http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/traveller/stopover/pop_index.html

"Once upon a time" many European airlines used to off special programs. If you crossed TATL on the national airline in Business Class but it was not your final destination in Europe then they'd give you a free hotel for the night.

For example, if you were going to SF to Paris you could fly KLM to Amsterdam then connect to Paris. If you did that then KLM would give you a free night at the Sonesta in Amsterdam and you could connect the next day. Simply a way of getting you to use their flag carrier when you didn't need to. Since it didn't cost any more for the ticket, I used to do that several times a year as I was flying to Paris and hated Air France.

Don't know if they still do that.

We have received accommodations during MX problems, when another ac will not be available until the following morning.

We were also offered accommodations during Hurricane Sandy, when we could not fly from FRA to JFK because JFK was closed. The airline kept us in an airport hotel in FRA for several days.

We were given accommodations at FRA during last year's LH strikes, when our TATL flight was cancelled.

We get stuck at FRA, in the same rather boring and oversized hotel a lot.

When do the airlines provide accommodation?
 

Sri Lankan provided at CMB on standard economy ticket. Including meal and hotel transfer.

Many airlines give hotels for MX and other situations when it's their fault, but not weather, strikes, etc.

EU261 has a duty of care provision that would have forced LH to cover you at FRA during hurricane Sandy. I'm not sure whether this extends to strikes.

It wasn't LH, it was SQ, but, oh, yes. The airport hotel (for people who know FRA, it's the giant one across the bridge) was packed: LH, SQ, a few others. It was interesting, almost like a detective novel. You got to meet a lot of people at breakfast and over dinner.

I don't know whether LH had duty to provide hotel and food during the strikes, but they did. Maybe it was a small way to save face. When we got to a (dead) FRA, they took us straight to the desk where they re-ticketed us and gave us the hotel vouchers. They were friendly and happy to assist, and asked if we had ever seen FRA this empty. Umm, no, but we'd still like to get home.

Sounds like an interesting adventure, although not so much when you simply want to get home.

I've stayed in the very nice Sheraton attached to the terminal, which I guess could be described as connected by a bridge. There are similar signs to a new Hilton.