Originally Posted by emcampbe

There are several carriers that fly SNA-DFW, though AA may be the only nonstop option.

I know everyone's priorities are different, but UA (and DL) fly lots of one-stops - UA with a connection in IAH, DEN or SFO. I know one-stops aren't necessarily preferable to everyone or even some much of the time, but they are an option if you want to keep your *A status and you fly this route as a big part of making it. If you live in a large city, with flights to practically everywhere, having to do a 1-stop probably sounds like a burden, but with my home city being mid-size basically means unless I am going to a hub of one of the major three (and even then, not all of them are served), I need to always make a connection, so you get used to it.