Ticketed for 2 different AA flights on same day
 

I have a situation where I am ticketed for two different AA flights on the same day (SAN-LAX-HNL & SAN-DFW-RDU). The SAN-LAX-HNL flights are the second half of my RT ticket for Thanksgiving, while my SAN-DFW-RDU flights are the first half of a RT ticket for a business trip. My question is any recommendations on how to handle the double-booking? Should I call AA and cancel the SAN-LAX-HNL flights or just be a no show? Is there an advantage to doing one over the other? Am I at risk of the computer somehow finding a double-booking and canceling both tickets? Thanks

AA will typically catch double bookings. Call to cancel the one you don't want.

Yes, there is a high risk that one or both will be cancelled.

There's no chance of both being cancelled.

Well I assume there’s a positive chance that they cancel ONE, and if it’s the “wrong” one, then OP is effectively in the same position.
But maybe AA is “smart” enough to cancel the older booking? (Not to say that would always necessarily be the “right” choice.)

OK, thanks I was leaning towards cancelling the SAN-LAX-HNL portion of the RT ticket. Does the timing of when I cancel matter? If I called them today to cancel the second half of that RT ticket, will it have any effect on the first half (HNL-LAX-SAN)?

You'd wanna check what the one-way fare is before doing that.

Why? I don't understand...I'm not looking for a credit/refund for the second half of the RT ticket.

They will probably reprice you to the one way fare as of today and charge you the change fee.

Yes, but it depends on the fare type. If there is a discount because it is a roundtrip, you might have to pay more for the one way.
Canceling before the outbound flights could result in a recalculation of the fair that you would have to pay to keep the outbound.
Sometimes oneway tickets cost more than roundtrip tickets. I do not know about this specific market.

Thanks to all of you for helping with this.
What if I do not cancel the return portion until I have already completed the first half of that trip? I'm scheduled to travel the first half on Tuesday, so I cancel the return portion on Wednesday and then use the business RT ticket to travel SAN-DFW-RDU-DFW-SAN

If you're planning to use the outbound portion then definitely wait till after you fly it to cancel, otherwise you will have to pay the change fee and fare difference as mentioned above.

After you fly it, you don't even need to call AA, just pull up your reservation at aa.com and cancel it there.

Thanks, that makes sense (sorry I probably should have provided a better explanation to begin with).
I will fly first half HNL-LAX-SAN and then cancel the return portion, and will use the full RT ticket for my trip to RDU & back to SAN. Thanks again!

FWIW, the return portion you cancel should be available for use (if you need it) for one year from date of ticket issue (with change fee).

They may cancel the one you don't want canceled before the trip date. Best to just call and sort it out ahead of time than risk being put in a more difficult position of having to rebook something that may or may not have availability or a similar fare.