[jimworcs]

Essentially, in this case, the reason for the delay is irrelevant. The OP could have been helped by AA, but they chose not to, because in the de-regulated environment, the airlines don't care about the customer. This is the reason that passengers are held hostage on planes, lied to, have ridiculously unfair terms and conditions imposed on them and are ripped off. The issue of whether the delay was due to weather or other reasons, is that it has become almost routine for customers to be lied to. It is a common experience for customers to be given two or three different reasons for a flight delay. This can significantly effect compensation entitlement, and the truth is... many airline employers are LIARS.