I had flight delay once when I was flying US. The airline compensate us with food vouchers for the few hours. I had a trip with a flight cancelled by the airline even before I started the trip. I had to move the return flight to the next day and complain to the airline and make them cover my one extra night of stay.
But I still count myself lucky. I had a friend travelling in Europe with train tickets to return to Hamburg. There was a strike and the train didn't run. She had to get a cab to take her back for 90 Euros back in 2010. I guess 90 Euros can buy you quite a few good meals back then.