How late can an airline change a flight?

How late can an airline actually change a flight? Ugh, right? Flight changes are the absolute WORST. I mean, seriously, who enjoys that feeling of dread when you check your email and BAM – your carefully planned trip is suddenly up in the air?

From what I gather, and this is just from my own experiences and what I've picked up – not like I'm a lawyer or anything – if they mess with your flight significantly, they usually have to step up. Like, a three-hour delay on a domestic flight? That's annoying, but maybe manageable. But a six-hour delay on an international flight? That's a whole different level of "I'm going to miss my connecting flight and probably need a new suitcase" kind of chaos. In those situations, I think they're generally required to offer you alternatives, help you rebook, maybe even throw in some compensation. It's the least they could do, honestly, after completely screwing up your travel plans. Remember that time I was supposed to go to my sister's wedding in Italy? Five-hour delay, missed my connection, ended up arriving a day late – missed the rehearsal dinner AND the ceremony photos. Still bitter about that, honestly.

But here's the thing, and this is where I get a little anxious: you never really know what they're going to offer. I always worry they'll try to stick me with some ridiculously inconvenient flight – some crazy layover in Bumfuck, Egypt or something. So yeah, I'm one of those people who obsessively checks their itinerary. Like, multiple times a day, sometimes. Probably overkill, I know. But better safe than sorry, right? Especially after that Italy debacle… I'm still having nightmares about that.