I don’t know where in CA you live but there are direct flights at least once a week between Springfield and LA. You might have better luck trying for that flight and then get a connecting one closer to your hometown. That way you don’t have the layover.

We’ve lived here two years and have had great experiences flying out of Springfield , but we’ve never traveled at the holidays so I don’t know what’s normal then. I feel like there are always news stories, though, about the craziness of air travel at the holidays — bad weather, canceled flights, people stuck at airports, etc. so it may just be the time of year you’re flying (which you can’t help — I mean, of course you want to be with family at Christmas).

I’m sorry you’ve had this experience twice.