Fellow FTers:

Thanks very much for your replies. Mostly consistent in prediciting impending doom. Yes, it COULD work, but Mrs. Aerokitty (who is a 2P) is likely to arrive battered and bruised -- not a good way to start a holiday.

I did manage to outwit .com and get an earlier flight into IAD, so IAD is not the issue anymore -- well, IAD can suck, but we found a way for her to have more time to absorb the suckiness of IAD

However, as pointed out, LHR is a mess and there are only two flights on LH from LHR-STR.

I am now completely convinced that .com CANNOT handle open-jaw and code-share flights correctly. For instance, if I ask for a leg from LHR to STR, it sends the passenger from LHR-IAD-FRA-STR. Hmm, it WANTS to give me a MR...

I'm gonna give the phone (please, PLEASE, no ICC...) one whirl to see if there is a way to salvage this. Right now, for $1200, it looks like I'm buying a lot of frustration for the Mrs.

Looks like another solo business trip for me.

BTW, I'm going to point Mrs. Aerokitty to this thread -- she will get a chuckle out out it.