Quick question: after AA RTW booked and rated my ex-TYO itinerary, out of curiosity I went back to the OW website (where it had failed multiple times with unknown errors) and inputted the same itinerary as was booked by AA. Once again it wouldn't let me book but did price it $500 lower than the AA-rated ticket. In the fare breakdown all fees/taxes were identical, the only difference being carrier-imposed surcharges. I've read the various posts upthread (thank you JAXBA and others) about the black box of carrier surcharges but need to ask the following: keeping the itinerary unchanged, does the AA RTW ratings desk have any flexibility in coming closer to the lower-priced OW website fare? For ease of response, you can copy and paste this if appropriate: "Helga, you already answered your own question: one is an AA-plated fare and the other would not be"