US Airways Cancelled Flight Richmond Virginia

My daughter booked a ticket from Richmond, VA to Boston, MA for my son-in-law to come to Boston because his mother was having cancer surgery. When he arrived at the airport (1 hr drive from his house) he was told that the flight was canceled for "Scheduled Maintenance". He explained why he was going but was told that they would not get him out until the next afternoon. They refused to look at other airlines or even at going out of Dulles airport. He left and decided to take the overnight Amtrak as he could not wait until the next day. This cost $90 more than his airline ticket because he needed to book last minute.

My daughter called US Air and after much arguing they agreed to refund his ticket price but not to cover the extra $90 or parking, gas and other expenses he incurred because they cancelled his flight. I have since been told that when US Air canceled a flight for "Scheduled Maintenance" it usually means that they did not have enough people to make is cost effective to fly that flight. My feeling is that the ticket is a contract for carriage and as such they should be responsible for all cost associated with their breach of contract.
No one for US Air seems to care about the consumer.

Steve
Fra,ingham, Massachusetts
U.S.A.