My daughter is booked on a flight on United from L.A. to Dulles, Washington DC to connect to fly to Paris. She leaves L.A. at 9am and I think earlier flights are full. There is only 30 minutes from landing to take off in Dulles ! Is this going to work? The agent who booked it said it would work. The flight is this friday, Dec. 17 and the weather report is good so maybe if the weather is good, it will work? I'm so stressed--can't look forward to the trip. Several family members are all booked to take the flight together from Dulles to Paris for a family wedding so I need her to be on that Paris flight.
Any suggestions for helping her to get on that plane?

Honestly, a 30 minute connection is cutting it very, very, VERY close and your daughter is flirting with disaster. The Paris flight will begin boarding either before or around the same time the inbound flight from LA arrives at the gate (assuming it arrives on-time). Depending on where your daughter is sitting it can take anywhere from a few minutes to 15 minutes to deplane. She literally will only have a few minutes to sprint to the Departure Gate for the Paris Flight and who knows how far away it will be. If your daughter's inbound flight is delayed by as little as 5 or 10 minutes she will miss the Paris flight.

Other than having her sit in the front of the plane, do only carry-on luggage (checked luggage will never make it), have here wear running shoes and be prepared to use them there's nothing anyone can tell you that will help.

Really the BEST THING TO DO IS get her on an earlier flight (the day before if you have to) - the downside is much too risky.

I don't understand how the airline let her book a connection like this. 55 minutes is my understanding for a minimum connection at IAD for a domestic to int'l flight. Unless the agent booked 2 separate tickets? In which case there is no protection of them misses the IAD-CDG flight.

In any case the plane to Paris will be boarding by time your daughter gets to IAD. I would get in touch w/ the agent and make them change it and eat the fees.

This Friday 12/17? The 9:09am UA120 is scheduled to arrive IAD at 5:15p, and the only flight that day on UA IAD-CDG is UA914 that departs 5:25p.

That's 10 minutes, not 30, and there's no way this can be a legal connection.

Call UA immediately to put her on the earlier UA914 from SFO. Or fly out the day before and spend a night in Washington, or a red-eye that arrives in the morning.

Agree with the others -- it will be a miracle if she makes it. Call UA and work something else out.

Thank you all for your supportive comments! I contacted the agent and he changed the flight and agreed that the connection was unreasonable. My daughter is now on the 8:13am flight and will arrive in DC at 3:54pm with enough time to catch the connecting flight scheduled to leave for Paris at 5:25pm.
Whew. I paid $120 for the change fee and didn't question it because I started to cry with relief that we got the change.
I still don't understand why the original booking was made so close because the agent at the time pointed out the tightness and said it would work. I'm new at this, but now know much more!

Great, glad she got on a flt with a decent connection. I would call UA back and challenge the change fee -- assuming u booked the original flight thru an agent, it was their fault for giving u a flight with a connection that was impossible. Have a great time in Paris!