Thanks everyone........I completely understand the "fare code" racket.....

I had one last opportunity to get the last "segment" I needed, and it's certainly my fault for assuming that my last flight on NWA, from Tampa to San Francisco, with a stop in Minnesota, at $941 (when my prior carrier was $271 for the same trip), would provide the proper fare code at a price more than triple the competition.

It just seems to convenient that out of 16 segments, only 3 would qualify....

Ah well, it would be interesting to see if they'd work with me on it.....