[Tom Ames]

I recently had an experience similar to the first leg of your trip with Continental. My overnight stay in the airport was caused by weather delays so they really weren't responsible. However, I had a terrible experience with the staff who were re-scheduling everyone's connecting flights. I e-mailed Continental's customer service department with some details, and promptly received an apology and a voucher. The voucher didn't cover a full flight, but I really didn't expect that much from them.

I think I'd go the e-mail route first (if available), then pursue it with phone calls if you're not satisfied with their response. Good luck.