Originally Posted by
Often1
3. 100% of the risk of a no show is on you. If your AA flight into SFO is late and you miss your xSFO flight, you may wind up having to purchase new tickets (all depending on fare rules and the UA agent's mood).
In the end, ask yourself what those miles are worth to you. Even if they go into the UA program and you never use them, would you pay double the ticket price + bags + accept risk of a no show for a few AA miles?
These days, it's hardly a matter of "if" your AA flight is late, but "when". SFO is not a hub for AA so you will have to connect to get from MSY to SFO on AA, doubling your chances of a late flight and a misconnect.