Originally Posted by
milesandmoremiles
2) Even though it was a small airport, 40 minutes is pushing it. Thats assuming the 40 minutes is an accurate reflection of the timing involved.
4) OP in essence missed the flight. Reservations would not be able to rebook without charging a fee.
40 minutes is cutting it close because there's a risk that it could take 10 minutes longer, and then the OP would miss the check-in cutoff. But that didn't happen (or maybe the OP shot for 60 minutes and got delayed, in which case the OP did have a good buffer). The OP was at the check-in counter ready to check-in 10 minutes before the clearly-published deadline. US didn't have staff their to accommodate the OP. This is cut-and-dried; assuming the facts are as the OP presented, US is at fault, full stop.
Deadlines exist for a reason on both sides: if you're at the counter before the deadline, you should be allowed to check in. The airline can't say "oh, you were 10 minutes before the deadline, that's cutting it close so you're out of luck."