Originally Posted by
Capetonian
The regulations are stated here( CH is considered EU for this purpose), but there are many weasel clauses that they can invoke :
Cancellation | AUC Home
The EU and its regulations are about as useful as a paper fireguard, but a common sense view on this would lead a reasonable person to the conclusion that they should book inconvenienced pax onto the next alternative flight. This may well cost the ticketing airline money but commercial goodwill dictates that you do it. If the alternative flight has fewer seats on it than pax wanting to use it (normally this would be the case) then a hierarchical order has to be applied. Criteria would be passenger value (FF status, fare paid, ongoing connections, to name just a few) and then it will often be the case that the mouthy will get on and the meek won't.
Actually Capers the relevant part of the regulation (also copied from the AUC site) is:
1. Refund or re-routing
1. If you decide not to travel you are entitled to a refund, within seven days, of the parts of the tickets not used. If it is a connecting flight and you have already made part of the journey and do not want to continue with it, reimbursement of the total price of the ticket (including parts of the journey not made if the flight is no longer serving any purpose in relation to your original travel plan) within seven days and a free flight back to point of departure.
You are not entitled (under Regulation (EC) 261/2004) to reimbursement of any other components of your trip such as hotel and transfer costs
or
Re-routing to your final destination as soon as possible or, if you agree, at a later date. (If the airline flies you to another airport in your destination city then they must pay for the transfer to the airport you were booked for or to another close-by point of your choice)
This doesn't say the airline has to reroute you on another airline (which is why I suggested that the OP use any 'status' he might have with BA) and LCCs will refuse to do so. (Stating they don't have interline agreements which is a very weak argument). BA themselves could certainly buy the passenger a ticket on Squeezy (but BA staff are not 'empowered' for such problem-solving) or reroute them onto Swiss (for which they are).