Flight Change Compensation?

You will not get any compensation for a flight that is schedule 4 months from now, they already told you your options. But it can not hurt to ask.

I doubt you will get anything. The airline canceled the flight four months ahead of time and have given you options--rebooking, refunds---you don't like them.

They are not obligated to give you a hotel room. It is a domestic fight so the European rules that some people will mention don't apply here. (It is not an EU based airline and the flights do not include a departure (Chicago) or arrival (Fargo) airport in the EU.)

But I'm a firm believer in "If you don't ask, you don't get."

I've had good luck in these situations writing a letter to the airline . . . not a phone call or an email but an old fashioned letter, dropped in the mail with a stamp on. Send it to customer service at company headquarters. Provide your confirmation code and explain just what you put in your post--that the airline chose to cancel the 2nd leg of your flight, and now the only way they can get you home on the day you are scheduled to return home is if you cut your European vacation short by a day, which you are not willing to do. Therefore you have to incur the cost of a hotel in Chicago and you will be arriving home one day after you wanted to be home. Be factual and courteous, tell them you know they value good customer relations, and ask them if they might be willing to offer you some kind of courtesy as an apology for this situation. Don't be specific as to what you're looking for. I've done this twice in the past few years, and both times, I was provided with a voucher that could be used on another flight. I know that one of those times, the airline was American. We were flying from Athens to Chicago with a plane change in London and that 2nd flight was cancelled. American could only get us to Chicago that day if we were willing to have a 10 hour layover in Boston. We weren't. I thought the airline might have some kind of duty to find us a seat on a competitor's airline, but that wasn't offered. We booked a flight for the next morning, directed them to hang onto our luggage and check it into that flight, took the train into the city with just our day packs, and spent afternoon and evening walking around London, with a hotel stay there. When I asked, at the airport the next day, if something was going to be offered to the passengers who suffered this cancelled flight, an agent told me that she didn't have the discretion to offer anything other than an upgraded seat (extra legroom) but she suggested I contact customer service at their headquarters after I got home. Since I'd already done that once a few years earlier with another airline, with success, I was hopeful. The time I spent writing the letter was worth it. Each of the four of us got a $300 voucher for future travel..

Unlikely you will get much/any compensation. What you should expect though is to be accommodated with alternative flights that meet your needs and that you approve of.

You need to do your homework and investigate other flight options (on AA) that you approve of that they could put you on (that is, that has space - not necessarily that has space at the same price you paid). Then call and ask, nicely, and be prepared to explain why the flights you are asking for would meet your needs while the first option they offered (which you don't like) is unacceptable.

You can't ask for (and won't get) upgraded to a better cabin so don't bother trying. Flights need to start and end in the same cities (but the route between them does not need to be the same); they may be able to put you on one of their partners' flights for one/all of the legs - or they may refuse that. Don't worry about the cost of the alternative flights - that's the airlines problem, not yours.

Don't be belligerent or emotional, explain your situation calmly, give them your suggestion(s) for an alternative that would be acceptable to you (within reason - see above for what they can't/won't do) and give them a chance to do the right thing.

Schedule changes happen all the time. It's not necessarily a disaster, and in fact a schedule change like this can sometimes work to your advantage - I look at schedule changes as opportunities to get a better flight. Keep calm, and see what they can do to keep you as happy, satisfied customer.

Call and talk to them about other options. For example maybe there is a flight Venice to New York and then New York to Fargo that could work.

If there isn’t anything, then I think you are stuck with the overnight in Chicago, no compensation.

My question is, when I call the airline back to have them switch us to
the Sunday morning flight, what should I ask for in compensation? Do
just ask for them to pay for the cost of the hotel? We would plan on
staying at the Hilton that is connected to the airport. What about
meals? How much do they offer in these kinds of situations? Nothing?
We've never had this happen before, and I want to be prepared when I
call them. Thanks!

You are most likely not going to get any compensation for hotel and food. You can try to call their call center and when the agent says no, you can thank him/her, hang up and then call back to see if another agent will compensate you. Unless you have Executive Platinum elite status on AA, you probably won't be compensated.

So are you willing to pay for a hotel stay at ORD and then fly home the next day? If yes, go online to AA to pick which flights on Sunday are good for you and then tell the agent when you call her/him that you'd like to be put on that flight at no extra cost since it was AA who cancelled your ORD - FAR flight. If the person won't do that, thank him/her, hang up, and call back until you find an agent who will.

If you are NOT willing to pay to stay overnight at ORD, I advise you go on AA's website and find alternate itineraries to FAR that avoid ORD. That can mean flying on a AA partner from VCE to DFW. Iberia flies a 7am to DFW via MAD arriving at DFW at 2:35pm. Then connect to the American Eagle 8:21 flight to FAR arriving at 11:21. That's a long time to spend at DFW. You can also fly to DFW to get your flight to FAR via British Airways from VCE. There is more flexibility at LHR.

So before you call AA, come up with 3-5 options for you to fly home on the same day and you can find them by going to the AA website just like I did. Don't make the AA agent do the work as that person will be less likely to want to help you. Do the research first so you can get the same day home itinerary without a change fee.

Also keep in mind that AA's customer service is likely experiencing high call volume right now because of concerns with the 737-MAX planes. Waiting a couple of days as you explore alternatives might be a less frustrating plan

We had similar experience with united on our upcoming trip in May. We booked with points and had good flight times/connections. On the way home thru Chicago they canceled our 7pm tulsa flight and out us on a 3ish flight. This would not allow enough time thru customs. I got on the phone with an agent and switched flights with no cost. He had to get approval since we used points. It wouldn’t hurt to visit with them. United did put us up in a motel when our plan was delayed on a trip. Delta put us up in a hotel when they canceled a flight to Europe also.

Good luck

Note that an airline providing a hotel for changed flights and plans is typically only going to happen when you're actually in transit and not something arranged more than a few hours beforehand

Your compensation is they are allowing you the option to change your flights at no additional charge. In airline terms, that is being generous.