Yeah, I tried but there’s not a whole lot of supply on outbound from Madeira. Everything was booked. Problem is this was flight 1 of 4.
Discussion
Yeah, if there are no spaces, then you will have to cut your losses in this situation. The connecting flights are not happening unless you rebook the whole trip through different cities (.e.g Porto -> Florida...) and you will have to pay all this again.
Sorry man. It will suck for a day or two.
Try calling the airlines from the connecting flights. There may be some options for rebooking without paying. Say that the previous flight got cancelled.