Originally Posted by
JonNYC
Seems like you got lucky based on what I unearthed:
-- keep an eye on ticketing, etc.
Your interpretation is debatable. It is explicitly mentioned that intra-city connections are allowed on domestic to international or international to domestic awards.
Technically, this is an international award despite having multiple domestic segments. So, I think that this falls under the exception mentioned. Either that, or the rep OP spoke to didn't catch up on these new rules.