Some routes my allow for a "legal" connection, but the price jumps more than just the extra $20 or so for fees/taxes....for example, an $89 fare from PDX-LAX jumps to around $138 when you try to connect in SEA (a natural connection point for AS). I find it interesting that you do better as far as cpm goes if you drive to a smaller airport like EUG or RDM (for PDXers) or BLI (for SEAers)....for example, EUG-SEA-LAX is around $121 one way while PDX-SEA-LAX is around $138....for around the same $121, you can add an extra 500 EQMs by going EUG-PDX-SEA-LAX but of course you have to start in EUG.

Companion certs are great for MRing by the way (assuming you take your significant other with you--and why not, makes a great date)....my wife and I are getting ready to do a weekend MR that goes PDX-GEG-PDX-SEA-LAX (overnight in LAX) LAX-SEA-PDX-EUG-PDX (could have picked RDM instead of EUG but don't like the fact that EUG keeps you in the secured area and RDM dumps you into the non-secured area of the terminal). Total cost with the companion cert: around $250 each (around 3.6 cpm).