I thought the OP's response was fair, and I know there are no direct flights to EWR from my point of origination, and without spilling the beans they only fly to one US airport from this origination point. So I could discount that advice. If they re-route me via some other airport (e.g. NRT) I'm no worse off than if I had to fly back to EWR anyway...

On the morality compass, it cuts both ways - UA acts in questionable ways to its customers (e.g. PE to E downgrade and claim they're the same product until threatened with legal action), so do its customers by sometimes dropping the last leg. If UA didn't take so long to pick up the phone... I'd have called them already to see about the above. But that's neither here or there.

Thanks both, I'll see what they say (if i can get through in a sane amount of time) and if not... good to know I'll be fine.