Originally Posted by
number_6
The OW rule is that the airline flying the first international sector on OWE must ticket; other airlines may ticket, at their option, but cannot be forced to ticket. AA typically will ticket as long as it gets some revenue, which means either trans-pacific or trans-atlantic. This includes AA codeshare on CX (HKG-USA) or QF (Oz-USA), so you can accomplish the AA ticketing without actually flying AA longhaul.
This is not what the AA GSA in CPT told me. It was specifically said that if the
transatlantic was not on AA they weren't wouldn't play ball.
It's intriguing how the OW players have carved up the SA market: BA and CX will only issue if your first intercontinental flight is with them; AA only if you choose them for transatlantic (presumably because you have shown some loyalty over BA on that sector?).
Be that as it may, if these are indeed the "rules", I wish that OW would put them in the effing official rules.
They create the impression that you can just rock up to any OW office and, hey presto, they will issue your xONEx. Why should everyone who isn't an avid reader of FT have to find out by trial and error who is willing to issue their ticket!