Originally Posted by
MSPeconomist
You get such better fares from the EU that the loss of SDC privileges doesn't seem unreasonable, although if you're doing a complicated itinerary and probably paying separate fares for some or all of your domestic flights, getting two tickets seems sensible. The downside is two change fees if your trip is cancelled.
The other downside is less protection (at least, less automatic protection) on a misconnect.