True...that's what I had in mind when I bought the ticket. But with all the hassle and waiting for my bags (I didn't mention in the post above that it took ~30 minutes to get my bags in New Haven, including the gate-checked carry-on, because they only have two (!) people to remove all the luggage and bring it to the baggage claim), it would have been worth my time (and sanity) to have just flown out of Hartford.

The outbound flight just set the tone of the whole Delta experience, so much so that I dreaded the return.

I guess I took for granted how well CO anticipates and ameliorates the things I loathed so much about my flights this week. Maybe I don't mind flying so much because CO has made things run so smoothly for me that I don't even notice the small stuff. It reminds me of my philosophy about visiting Amsterdam--the best trips are the ones you don't remember.