When Flight Delays Work In Your Favor

Text message and e-mail from United during the night...

United flight UA78 on September 17 is delayed and awaiting arrival of the crew.
Now departs: 6:54 p.m. on September 17, Tokyo, Japan (NRT - Narita)
Now arrives: 6:09 p.m. on September 17 at New York/Newark, NJ (EWR - Liberty)

This two-hour delay will give us time to visit a lounge and maybe even enjoy a shower at NRT. Our late arrival at EWR doesn't hurt us a bit, since we were facing a five-hour layover, now possibly reduced to three.

Of course, UA tries to spoil the fun with this disclaimer...

Please be at the gate for boarding prior to the original scheduled departure time of 4:55 p.m., as the departure time could be revised again.

We'll check with the United Club NRT lounge but we have no plans to sit at the gate for an extra hours when there are lounges in the vicinity.