Certainty in the Uncertainty

When a flight is cancelled because of bad weather or any other reasons by the airlines then they will provide you with another flight and accommodation till you get another flight.   So, it is up to you to negotiate and get the immediate flight. If you have access to the internet and able to find the next immediate flight and then discuss with the airline people if you can get the tickets for those airlines. You have to be tough with those guys, otherwise they will convince you with whatever they can provide with that can be after 2 days or 3 days. If you do not have any such information then talk to the fellow passengers who are at the other counters and find out what is the kind of airlines and the dates they are getting the tickets. Based on this information you can check with the airlines people in order to find the available tickets in the next immediate flight. You have to fight literally and create an urgency in order to get the next immediate and best possible flight. 

When they book the tickets, make sure that the tickets are booked without any domestic flight. There is a high possibility of cancelling or delaying the domestic flight and hence missing the international flight. In this case, International airlines will not take the responsibility for the delay of domestic flight. And in the total frustration and after travelling so much you will not be able to go back to domestic airlines for requesting for the accommodation. In this case, you are the mercy of international airlines as you missed the flight even though there was collaboration between International and domestic airlines.

 When we miss an international flight by any chance (because of delay in domestic flight or by your mistake), you might not be provided with any accommodation as the rules might say that they are not responsible for delays to due to weather etc. So, you need to fight in order to get the accommodation and ask them to provide with immediate next flight due the urgency you have.  It is very important to talk to the domestic airlines prior departure about the delay and the consequences of that delay.  We have not discussed this prior departure, so don’t know about it.

If it is you who have to pay for the hotel expenses because of the delay, then it is going to be more than $70 per night and around $20 for food if the airlines provide you with discount coupon for accommodation. Otherwise it is going to be more than $120 in total. So, in worst case request the airlines for the discount coupon for staying in airport hotels.  (This case is with respect to United States and must be true for any other case)

Disclaimer: These insights are my opinions, Please consider them accordingly and use it based on the situation.