To clarify again. It’s not a 5.5 hour connection. Rather, the new flights leave/arrive 5.5 hours after my original itinerary.

I’m trying to understand if others have ever had their itinerary involuntarily changed well ahead of a trip when the original flights are still operating as scheduled. I do understand schedule and equipment changes can affect a routing. However; this situation is simply DL changing my itinerary without consent and without recourse.