take the 8:20 am flight with the 1 hour layover.

Charlotte is not a large airport and you still might be able to make the later flight if something happens.

I agree with Salgal. At least if you miss the flight, you have a second opportunity. Hopefully you can check your bags through. If you have to take time to get the bags, that doesn't help.

Try to get seats close to the boarding/disembarking door of the airplane. This will save a lot of time if you can get off quickly. If you have seats not close to the door, check every day online to see if things change and you can get better seating. (I recently did this, checked twice a day, and finally got the seat I wanted--aisle and close to the front.) If the plane is late, ask the flight attendant if s/he can help you get off first so you can make the next flight.

personally I would leave it as they changed it because trying to catch flights and change planes etc on Christmas and around Christmas is the most hectic time and so many people end up being bumped or on standby. If they are guaranteeing you this flight I would stay on it with no plane changes and switches etc.
Plus that time of year weather in all parts of the country can affect flights.

What was their reason for changing you?

I would take the longer layover in Charlotte - it's not a "big" airport, no, but if one flight comes in at terminal E and the other goes out of A or B - you're going to have a LONG haul from gate-to-gate. I've missed connections there twice because of short connection times and delays in getting a gate at that airport.

I don't suppose you could wheedle a change to the prior evening, saying you've have arrangements you can't cancel for Christmas Day in New Orleans? If not...I'd stick with the nonstop.

If we don't make the 1 hour connecting flight, we will still have a layover from 10:13am until the next Charl flight at 2:35pm. That makes the layover 4.25 hours more, getting in to NOLA at 3:37pm. We might get lucky and make it though...roll of the dice...that's part of my dilemma.

My thinking is by taking an early, 1-stop flight in lieu of the 6:15pm direct we are current on, we would get in at 12:18pm and have plenty of day left to enjoy in NO, and get acclimated a bit. By the time the 6:15pm direct flight gets in to NO at 8:20pm, we'll already have 6-7 hours of time on the ground enjoying ourselves.

Raven, the airlines cancelled all but one direct flight that day without reason and no notification. I found out myself.

Chisue, flying on 12/24 is not an option as we have a biz obligation that can be cancelled until 8:00PM that evening. Latest flight out is 6:15pm on 12/24.

They didn't/haven't notified you of the change yet? Could change again, two months out. *I* would sit tight, and plan to accept the changed nonstop...if it comes to pass.

We book eight months in advance for a much longer trip to Maui. There are almost always three or four schedule changes before we leave. I still want my nice nonstop on the long leg, flying in winter.

what time do you arrive in n/o? you don't have to worry about a late arrival at the hotel?

An hour seems like enough time to me in Charlotte. There is not likely to be a snowstorm in PHL at that time of year. Snow, maybe, but not a whopping storm.

might not be the right time to post this... but it is funny!

Kulula is a low-cost South-African airline that doesn't take itself too seriously.

WHAT A PITY KULULA DOESN'T FLY INTERNATIONALLY - WE SHOULD SUPPORT THEM IF ONLY FOR THEIR HUMOUR - SO TYPICALLY SOUTH AFRICAN.
Kulula is an Airline with head office situated in Johannesburg . Kulula airline attendants make an effort to make the in-flight "safety lecture" and announcements a bit more entertaining.
Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported:

On a Kulula flight, (there is no assigned seating, you just sit where you want) passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced,
"People, people we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it !"
---o0o---

On another flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot said,
"Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants."
----o0o---

On landing, the stewardess said,
"Please be sure to take all of your belongings.. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it 's something we'd like to have."
----o0o---
"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane."
---o0o---

"Thank you for flying Kulula. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."
---o0o---

As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Durban Airport , a lone voice came over the loudspeaker:
"Whoa, big fella. WHOA!"
---o0o--

After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in the Karoo, a flight attendant on a flight announced, "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted."
---o0o---
From a Kulula employee:
"Welcome aboard Kulula 2 71 to Port Elizabeth . To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised."
---o0o---

"In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one small child, pick your favorite."
---o0o---
"Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Kulula Airlines."
----o0o---
"Your seat cushions can be used for flotation; and in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments."
---o0o---
"As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses.."
---o0o---

And from the pilot during his welcome message:
"Kulula Airlines is pleased to announce that we have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!"
---o0o�"

Heard on Kulula 2 55 just after a very hard landing in Cape Town : The flight attendant came on the intercom and said,
"That was quite a bump and I know what y'all are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendant's fault, it was the asphalt."
---o0o�"

Overheard on a Kulula flight into Cape Town , on a particularly windy and bumpy day: During the final approach, the Captain really had to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said,
"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to The Mother City. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!"
---o0o�"

Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: "We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."
---o0o�"

An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying our airline". He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said,
"Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"Why, no Ma'am," said the pilot. "What is it ?"
The little old lady said,
"Did we land, or were we shot down?"
---o0o�"

After a real crusher of a landing in Johannesburg, the attendant came on with,
"Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Captain Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we will open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal.."
---o0o�"

Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement:
"We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today.. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of Kulula Airways."
---o0o�"

Heard on a Kulula flight:
"Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing.. If you can light 'em, you can smoke 'em."

Very funny. Reminds me a little of Southwest Airlines. They don't have assigned seating, you are either in the A,B, or C group. C group ends up with seats in the middle or next to the potty.

The attendants are humorous, too. "This Boeing is going".

Still, Kulula sounds like more fun, if it is possible to have fun when flying.

Do ask for some compensation for the trouble. I just read an article in our travel section about this.

Another thing - it's not so much the "connection time" as it is the BOARDING TIME for your second flight. Rolling the dice with the hopes of making the first connection, but relying on the second connection is a bit foolish - what if that second connection is oversold?

US Airways is one of the worst airlines (from my personal experience) in terms of customer service and flight time reliability; that's why I fly Southwest whenever I can.