Originally Posted by
arollins
Is booking the BBB-DDD segment with another carrier an option? That way you do not need to deal with the possible problems with simultaneous booking.
Just so the OP understands, this on reduces the odds of detection. The airline still considers not flying BBB-CCC as the throwaway part, and the violation of the CoC..
How and when you book stuff like this may have an impact on how the airline interprets the facts. Book it all at the same time and it is clear you are trying to exploit a fare anomoly. But if it comes up at a later date, it is more understandable. While AA makes no such public distinction, this happens a lot. as imapilot posted....
For example Ive had return flights home from EU. LHR-DFW-SMF. or LHR-LAX-SMF. Flights booked in discount business, but still $4-5k. Plans change, once I needed to be in SFO the next AM, once in DTW. I just abandoned the route in LAX or DFW and booked a flight from there. Had I changed the whole return leg with 5 days notice it would have cost many thousands of dollars.
Here are the rules AA posts:
Hidden City/Point Beyond Ticketing: Purchase of a fare from a point before the passenger's actual origin or to a point beyond the passenger's actual destination.
Duplicate and Impossible/Illogical Bookings: Duplicate or impossible/illogical American Airlines bookings are prohibited without prior authorization from American Airlines. A duplicate or impossible/illogical booking includes, but is not limited to, bookings for the same passenger on flights traveling on or about the same date between one or more of the same or nearby origin and/or destination (such as JFKDFW and LGADFW or DFWLAX and DFWONT), or bookings with connections that depart before the arrival of the inbound flight.
Arguably they say "purchase" of a fare to a point that is not the destination...if at the time of purchase it IS your destination, but then stuff happens and the destination changes...perhaps splitting hairs.