Ugh. I hate all things airport related.
@ohhappypets and I had an experience like that. We were headed to Missouri for our grandpa's funeral service. After delays, cancelations, reassignments, gate changes, a minor freak out (not by me!)...we missed the service by a long shot. It was a complete nightmare.
The kicker was that we were trying to fly American Airlines. Our grandpa retired from American Airlines, so it was kind sad that they couldn't get us there in time.
Hope your wife has a better experience today! 4951