who woulda thought flying would be worse than greyhound...

Sorry to hear you had such bad luck on both sides of your trip. Here's a hint, take American Airlines and even if it means a hella-long drive fly into Dallas. Ive done that for years and Ive never had a problem. I even used to fly with them alone as a child and it was always a decent experience.
 
yeah. all my previous flights with AA were really nice. same with delta. continental offered an uber cheap fare and i took it. slimy bastards :p