[jyl]

Had a travel problem, made a decision, turned out probably wrong. Tell me what the correct decision would have been, given the facts known at the time.

Sat Dec 17. Booked on UA flight 687 PDX-ORD then 987 ORD-CDG. 3+ hour connection in ORD.

Arrive at PDX 2 hours before 687 departure. UA puts everyone on 687 in a separate check in line, informs us that they'll try to help us make connection despite 687's delay. Mechanical has delayed 687's inbound plane leaving SFO. Agent tells me I'll have only 30 minutes to make the connection, moves me to row 10 so I will get off 687 faster, tells me the two gates are currently on the same concourse. I go through security to the gate.

Over the next hour, 687 gets more delayed. The time between its expected arrival in ORD and the scheduled close of boarding of 987 goes to 15 minutes, then 5, then 0. Meanwhile, 987's inbound plane is in the air and running early.

I get a notification on my UA iPhone app, saying that due to the disruption of my trip to Paris, I'm offered a no-charge rebooking, next flight is Sun Dec 18. I stand in the line at the gate to ask agent what I should do, line is 30 deep and moving at 1 person per 10 minutes, if that. Call UA 800 number, on hold 40 minutes. Haven't been able to speak to anyone.

I give up, click the app to be rebooked, and go home. It is about 11:30, maybe 1.5 hours before 687 is now expected to leave. I attend a meeting that I would otherwise have missed, and make plans to see my son's dance performance that I would also have missed.

During the afternoon I keep getting updates on 687 and 987, even though I'm now booked on and checked in to the new flights. 687 ends up landing at ORD at 6:30 pm local, 3.5 hours behind schedule, and arrives at the gate about 30 min after 987 boarding was scheduled to close and also after 987 was scheduled to leave.

But then 987 departure gets delayed, 10 minutes, 25 minutes, 35 minutes. 987 finally leaves the gate 40 min after 687 lands. Which means I could possibly have made the connection after all, assuming 687 got to the gate and unloaded timely, and they'd kept 987's door open.

I am booked for an early flight tomorrow PDX-SFO then a 4+ hour connection to direct SFO-CDG. Get into Paris same time, 1 day later start to a three week vacation.

Knowing what I knew, what should I have done?