sky_throwaway

Hi! Scheduled to fly AA tomorrow to a destination in Asia with a layover in HK. Airport was "shutdown" earlier due to the protests. I called Exec Platnium help desk about potentially changing the initial departure, so I could avoid HK.

When I called the first representative was very helpful, but let me know that I would be looking at 40+ hr long re-route. I called back later to request standby on the flights the first rep gave me, and this new representative said they could see nothing indicating any problem and they could not list me standby (the person literally told it was "fake news" that the airport was shut down)

On my own, I took a look at other options / airlines outside of One World. Found a one-way premium economy ticket to my destination on EVA (with a connection in Taipei) for under $1000 that had a $150 cancellation fee. Was considering purchasing this ticket as "insurance" in case HK airports are closed again when I arrive to the airport. It would be worth the $150 to make sure I can get to my destination relatively close to on time.

However, I would want keep my original return ticket home with AA. My question is, *IF* HK airport is closed and my AA flight is canceled. Could/would it be possible to request just a one-way / partial refund from AA, book my own flight to Asia and keep my original return ticket home? It gets a bit messy as the connection in Hong Kong is a codeshare with Cathay Pacific.

Curious if anyone ever heard of / done that before? The AA rerouting looks quite miserable with 3+ connections or overnights.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!