Originally Posted by
MSPeconomist
If OP is a no show for the connecting flight on the ticket, the remainder of the ticket will be cancelled. Purchasing a flight on another carrier will and failing to fly the first segment on the international award ticket will cause all segments to be cancelled. OP absolutely should not do this.
There is no way a domestic to international ticket with a 45 minute connection at LAX would have been sold as legal. I think these have to be separate tickets somehow.