I've been an AA frequent flier for years out of LAX (actually I'm half way between LAX and SNA). There are a couple of problems. Some of the connections for the Super Saver awards really stink. Also, they don't have very many FF seats at the low levels, particularly around the holidays and they get booked within minutes of being released. For those reason, this year I've been using SWA quite a bit thanks to some nice credit card bonuses and I have been really happy with how easy it is to redeem miles for direct flights. I had not flown SWA in years before this year and now I'm a fan. Unfortunately that doesn't help you with Asia but I would not put all your eggs in one basket.