Oberstar himself faced such a situation on a January trade mission to China. Although his ticket showed a single flight number from Detroit to Shanghai, the flight actually involved a plane change in Tokyo. When a mechanical problem delayed Oberstar's flight from Detroit, he arrived in Tokyo only to find out that the other plane, the continuation of his flight, had already left. The situation forced Oberstar to make an unscheduled overnight stay in Tokyo and cancel several official meetings scheduled for the next morning. It also created the curious situation of the airline having two planes with the same flight number in the air at the same time.
Airlines have a choice.
Good customer relations and common sense should make such considerations routine. However, he warned the airlines that, if forced to act, Congress will do so decisively.