My connecting flight was cancelled. What are my rights?

If both flights were on one ticket, the airline must rebook you to your final destination at no extra cost. Under DOT rules, you're also entitled to a full refund (to your original payment method) if you choose not to travel at all. The airline cannot force you to accept a voucher instead of a cash refund for a cancellation.

For controllable cancellations (mechanical, crew, operations), most major airlines commit to providing meals for waits over 2-3 hours and hotel accommodations if you're stranded overnight. These commitments are published in each airline's customer service plan on the DOT's airline dashboard. Ask specifically: "This is a controllable cancellation — I need meal vouchers and a hotel voucher per your customer service plan."

If the cancellation means you'll arrive more than 3 hours late domestically (or 6 hours internationally), you can request a full refund and make your own arrangements. Sometimes booking a last-minute ticket on another airline and requesting a refund from the original airline works out better than waiting for rebooking. And if your flights were on separate tickets, the cancelling airline owes you rebooking or refund for their segment only — the other airline has no obligation.