I'd almost be willing to bet that is too simple - airlines seem to have a high disregard and express avoidance for anything that smacks of simplicity. Then again, that's why FlyerTalk exists - the Wiki and some of the stickies are terrific resources to check when strategizing / before flying.

In the same spirit, one wonders why the aa.com website, when requested for US - European flights in discounted business, will return mostly AA flights at higher rates, even when one specifies "AA, AE and oneworld" or even all airlines - but definitely NOT the lowest price offered on the routes requested (e.g. $3472 - or higher - using aa.com, but $2481 using iberia.com for the same flight itinerary before taxes and fees - except it will not reveal all the Iberia flights.)

Back to before the days of the Warsaw Convention, the airline formula has always been "flimflam the paying customer;" they now have added computerized systems to the arsenal for doing that.