Originally Posted by
AirportPlanner1
Given your story it sounds like I’m being funny - genuinely I’m not - but what ‘scheduled’ airlines (assuming you don’t mean LCCs) generally offer is alternative options. Either from other nearby airports as BA originally offered you, or indirect routes with alliance partners (eg a mishap with Delta saw them re-route me via an alternative domestic hub onto Virgin). Whereas if you are with Jet2 or TUI and your flight/holiday is cancelled and they don’t/can’t charter an alternative you may get offered somewhere different or a refund.
By way of rebuttal, at our hotel there happened to be a couple of Jet2 Reps one day, who I engaged in conversation about how they had handled the previous weekend with two consecutive days of disruption.
"Oh, it was chaotic at the airport all weekend. Some guests came in more than 12 hours late". When I described how we were three
days late arriving, and that BA had issued a phone number to rebook ourselves which just played a recording that they were too busy to take phone calls, there was general disbelief.
Incidentally, that 'originally offered from nearby airports' flight was subsequently just cancelled, as well.