Rebooked due cancellation?
 

There's a petition on change.org started by a pax who is stuck in an Egyptian resort due to their flight home being cancelled. I won't bore you with the details.
But it did make me wonder. If the "cancelling" airline rebooked the pax on a flight (on a different airline) home that required a connection in Europe and the final leg gets cancelled which of the two airlines is responsible for what in the way of compensation, rebooking etc.? I suspect it would be different if the pax took matters into their own hands and purchased new tickets because that would be a completely new contract with airline carrying them home?

IANAL, but I think there is enough case law by now to show that:

a) it's the airline that has cancelled your flight that has the ultimate responsibility for getting you home in a timely manner, even if that involves booking you on another carrier

and

b) if the airline doesn't shoulder the above responsibility then the passenger is entitled to reclaim any reasonable costs that they have incurred in making their own arrangements to get home

Well, if I was the "cancelling carrier" and I had purchased you a ticket on another carrier, particularly one that I had no interline/business agreement with, I think I might argue that I had met my responsibility and that the carrier taking the passenger home was responsible.

Consider the case of the original carrier buying a passenger a ticket on DodgyAirline which files for bankruptcy between the ticket being purchased and the ticket becoming valid. Then what happens ?

I'm no legal expert but I believe the "cancelling carrier" still has primary responsibility for the passenger(s) until they successfully land at their destination. If a contracted carrier fails to fulfil their task then that's just between the two carriers to resolve at later date.

Agreed - my understanding is that when you buy a ticket you take out a contract with the airline to get you from A to B - it's their responsibility.