Originally Posted by
j2simpso
With all due respect, that may be fine if you're driving in Texas. However, in the upper peninsula of Michigan, where it's not uncommon to have heaps of snow and icy, frigid conditions a 6+ hour drive can be quite the ordeal. I know, I've lived in Montreal and parts of SW Ontario where getting a couple of feet of snow is common and the temperatures can dip to -4 Fahrenheit. Right now in Calumet it's 17 Fahrenheit. The last thing you want to be is stranded in a rental car in the UP of Michigan during NYE!
If OP wanted to fly to/from ORD they would've ticketed from ORD and potentially saved hundreds of dollars on the itinerary for not having to add this segment in.
-James
Not only is this correct, but flip comments about "sending the bill" to UA are not helpful to someone who is clearly worried about money, e.g. whether UA will cover a hotel room and meals for an extra night. UA will not likely "cover" the car rental. It will, on request refund the value of the segment fare which on a lengthy journey such as this is likely minimal.
I would also note that while some credit cards do provide travel interruption insurance, many people carry real coverage and it's important to check for that as well.
Originally Posted by
MSPeconomist
Houghton would be a tough winter drive from either Wausau or Green Bay, although Green Bay would tend to have somewhat larger planes. If you're driving the last rural distance, you could also aim for Duluth. Madison or Milwaukee would cut a couple hours of interstate driving (Green Bay and Wausau a bit more), but my concern would be the drive in/near the UP, including close to the whole way from Green Bay or Wausau as IIRC from either one, the highway ends about an hour north. Of course if the OP's real destination in the UP isn't that close to Houghton, this point might be moot.
BTW I just tried to look at driving conditions road reports and in MN, all major roads northeast of Duluth (which the OP wouldn't be using, but it gives an idea of general conditions across the state line) are still totally snow covered. The area around Houghton would have gotten the same weather system a bit later, so I would not want to be driving in that area today. OP should also monitor weather reports for the next winter storm expected to hit the area.
When I last checked, DL did serve Houghton, so there wouldn't be a need to drive the last sector as Often1 suggested above, just to get where you're going from that airport. Of course, DL serves Gren Bay, Duluth, Madison, Milwaukee, etc. although not nonstop from ORD.
Can't find any DL service to CMX. Only service I can see is 2x/daily xORD on UA. Looks as though it's now an ESA service.