I wasn't sure how to search for this. I have some TATL trips coming up this summer. Two would be appropriate for my husband to come along. There is good award space on both flights, and the revenue tickets for me would not be too bad if I booked them now. The problem is that typically, my ticket doesn't get purchased by work until very close in (3--7 days). I'm thinking about booking an award ticket for him, a fully refundable for me, then when it's time for the company to buy my ticket, cancel mine. Problems: I don't know if this is allowable with AA, and there may be a couple of days close in where I have no ticket and my preferred seat gets sold.

It's possible I could buy an inexpensive coach fare (my status gets me MCE) now and negotiate reimbursement, which seems simpler, but if at the last minute I'm not needed, or needed elsewhere, then I have an award ticket and revenue ticket I can't use without $$$ in change fees.

There is no in-house travel agent or set travel policy other than a vague "your ticket shouldn't be twice as much as a standard (not basic) coach ticket from LAX to the final destination". This is the first year I'll be doing multiple TATL trips and it's my bosses' first year of having their own agency, so ideas on what other people do would be greatly appreciated. Admins, if this is not the right forum (picked since the first airline I'm looking at is AA) please move to one more appropriate. Thanks.