Your post 23 just underscores why anybody from the regions should never, ever, consider booking with BA and always place their business with Ryanair, Easyjet, KLM, Emirates, Continental and anyone but BA.
Not really. What we do see is a lot of people booking with Emirates or Continental etc, but then expectng BA to look after them on their LHR-NCL leg or LHR-GLA leg.
RYR or EZY would cancel flights just the same - the differnce is they would just tell you "Tough!" and leave it to you to find your own way home.
At least BA has a very reliable system in place when things go wrong. No other airline has as extensively written "SOP's" as BA!