11 hour flight delay

[LSchrow]

The passengers were provided food and drink by the airline; they would also have been required to provide lodging if the flight were delayed overnight.

so....i searched (and searched - DOT, FAA, & SWA CoC), but couldn't find anywhere that stated lodging had to be provided for an overnight delay.
just curious, as we once did have an overnight delay with SWA (weather-related so perhaps that is the difference )
btw, the "food & drink" were the pretzel/peanut packages, some soda & bottled water (the mob scene at the tables, with people pushing & shoving to grab armfuls of "loot", was too chaotic - we just sat down with some strangers, opened up the bags of fritos & chips in our duffles, & made new friends . as there weren't any planes leaving in that weather, we paid (OOP) for a hotel room nearby - no compensation was offered, and we were rebooked on a flight the next afternoon.

it was a while ago, so, again, pure curiosity rather than looking for compensation - thx

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

You need to check your airline's Contract of Carriage. Here is Southwest's (see Section 9):

http://www.southwest.com/assets/pdfs/corporate-commitments/contract-of-carriage.pdf

Allegiant's COC (see section 85):

https://www.allegiantair.com/aaImages/mediakit/COC.pdf

Usually weather delays are not compensated. Keep in mind though, the higher your frequent flyer status, the more the airline will do for you and you have a better chance of being compensated by legacy airlines. Also, they will often take care of the passengers who make the most noise (politely)!

Here's an interesting, if a bit outdated (Continental Airlines is no more), article on the topic:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/11/travel/11prac.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0