Wetfeet, you are quoting from the preamble to the Regulation rather than any part of the legislation itself. If you go down to the Regulation you'll see that article 5 paragraphs (1)a) and (3) together with articles 7, 8 and 9 make it explicitly clear that only the right to compensation is waived in the event of 'exceptional circumstances' like the ones you describe.
The right to care, as well as the right to refund or re-routing, persists even under these conditions.
Last edited by pb2; 24th May 2011 at 18:00.
Reason: clarify paragraphs