Originally Posted by
kingabraham3
While I'm sure it's possible to do this, I wouldn't recommend relying on. AA agents are required to check visa status, and will generally give you a hard time. Even the 72 hour transit exception requires a bit of advocacy (although at least you can rely on it).
Also, I would not recommend anyone do this, but if you are stuck with a RT ticket, you can book a refundable ticket to a third country and present that itinerary to get your 72 hour transit visa. Once back in the airport, simply board the flight to the US and cancel the other flight.
I can't recommend this either because the computers have come a long way since TWOV was first introduced ~20 years ago. In the TWOV thread, I have been challenged by my suggestion that the odds of getting called out are only ~10%, but even if you agree with my "10%" figure, the downside could be unfathomably bad (e.g. 1 in 10 chance of being cordoned off in an interrogation room for hours, paying dearly to leave the country, and earning a special label in the PRC immigration database). As such, I think it is poor form to even hint this approach is viable.