waterworld
mpento: I’m sorry this happened to you. But you did have a contract with the airline, and it specifically said they could do this. Airline tickets come bundled up with the fare rules and “conditions of carriage,” or something similar, depending on the airline. The language on the ticket will indicate the ticket is subject to the published fare rules and conditions of carriage. In the conditions you’ll find the specific rules the airline follows regarding flight schedules. Standard provisions would be that the airline can change the flight schedule at any time, without notice. Many airlines also say that they will try to contact you and work out a schedule that you can live with if they change the schedule. A few will offer a refund if the resulting delay is “significant” — and the contract should define “significant.”
I don’t know how you purchased your ticket — direct from the airline or through a discount reseller or an agent — but I would be surprised if there was not a point during the transaction where you were advised about the fare rules and asked to indicate that you accepted them. If you don’t say yes to that, the transaction is cancelled. It’s up to the traveler to actually read the rules and conditions.
Notice of the conditions and an opportunity to cancel the transaction is about all that the law requires.
I understand that it’s irritating. Honestly, though, I can’t agree that an extra three hours is an injustice.