I'm writing in the UA forum because while my question is location-dependent, it is also a question of UA operations.

I currently have a J award reservation with an UA-UA connection that starts in SEA connects in SFO, and goes to HND. The flight is in April and originally had a 80 minute connection. Due to a schedule change, the connection is now 68 minutes (the originating flight is coming in early in the morning). A bit too small of a window for comfort, although over the 1-hour MCT.

I've researched a few options, with the best one being changing the award booking to connect in LAX, which has a 2.5 hour connection. This seems ideal, but when I look at the seat chart, I see the J cabin is completely empty as is the Y cabin empty except for a block of apparently booked seats in the back. My concern about this flight is the possibility of it being deleted from the schedule and then later facing a poor choice of options.

Any sage insights about the LAX flight as an option? Completely foolish of me to stay on the 68 minute connection flights?

Many thanks!