Originally Posted by JohnAx
I don't think there's such a thing as a "cheapie" ticket on that route, although the first part of your advice is ok. If the OP has NA segments to burn and doesn't mind a bit of a slog, YVR-DFW-LAX on AA is of course a choice.
BTW, not that it's really OT but when we flew YVR-LAX on AS last month (in the front cabin) we discovered the real meaning of "no service". The FA distributed the peanuts and a beverage, then disappeared.
When one is spending $6500-8500 on an AONEx, $300 seems like a cheapie to me. YMMV.
Sorry about your AS experience. All airlines have their bad days (and their bad employees). I fly AS F quite a bit (commute to Seattle for GF), and I almost always get very good service.