Well looks like if you want to fly SJC-LAX, you have to go through SLC, making it a 4-7 hour trip.

So I have to drive an hour to SFO to get the direct SFO-LAX flight and then for awards, there are only a couple of flights which are low awards, like 7 hours before my LAX flight or hours after.

Would they cancel the flight on the day of? The previous AZ segment, they changed a few days before so it wasn't a big adjustment.

I had a flight change for another trip in December and just got the email notification.

Oh but if they have to put me on a different flight, it might leave LAX at a much different time.

So it may make sense to take the SFO-LAX flight, even if I have to hang out in LA for 6 hours. The thing that I can't abide is on the return, if they can only get me on a LAX-SFO flight several hours after I arrive in LAX.