Originally Posted by
SNAGuy
The earlier flight into SFO then has a lay-over of great than 4-hours, is that even legal.
Yes.
Ultimately it all depends on how necessary it is to be in NYC by early the next am. If AA considers the 35 minutes a "legal connection" but you miss it due to the SNA-SFO flight, its AA's responsibility to get you to NYC. There are flights to ORD, DFW and BOS that depart SFO well after your flight.