LOL, I think I would rather pay a cheap hotel in IAH if I miss my conection, than do CO a favor and stand by to the earlier departure. I actually bought it that way, because the first morning flight out of LAX was full in the fare bucket I needed. It is a beautiful mileage run way under 0.04 cents/mile, plus a great trip to Latin America.

Hopefully, I will not miss my conection, but if I do, I will definitely find something to do at IAH. And I will book a hotel that can be cancelled before 6pm just in case.

Thank you all for your advice.