Originally Posted by
Comfy Seat Flyer
Yeah, that's the opposite of what usually happens, at least when the itinerary includes partner flights.
Exceedingly common with all-AA flights though. AA is perfectly happy to let you book an award flight with double connections and long layovers if you want a cheap miles price, and still go out of their way to prevent you from stringing together that exact same itinerary as a cash ticket if there's even a chance it breaks the fare.