Connection Question
 

I was wondering if you get dropped from your connecting flight if you don't show for the first. Example: flying from aus-lax. connection at iah. What if you just don't fly the leg from aus-iah? I'm asking because of some weird ways that the pricing works, was wondering if you can book aus-lax to save $.

If you don't fly the first leg, you will be dropped from any subsequent legs. Sorry.

While you can't do that, sometimes the cost of IAH-AUS is trivial enough that you can book IAH-AUS-IAH-LAX for less than IAH-LAX.

Takes more time, but you get more miles.

OP, although the pricing seems "weird" to you it is quite logical to the airline industry. The demand for travel from AUS to/from LAX is at one level. The demand for city pairs IAH & LAX is at a different level. The prices are based on this and not the route you take. To some, it is crazy that AUS>IAH>LAX would cost less than just IAH>LAX. After all, it costs more to fly me on the AUS>IAH leg. This where the disconnect occurs. Pax think that the cost (to the airline) of transporting you plays into the price. That's not really the case.

The idea you had to buy from AUS > LAX via IAH and just flying from IAH to LAX will definitely not work. You LAX flight will be canceled.

Another attempt at usurping the prices is when someone wants to fly from LAX > IAH but the can find a cheaper fare by flying LAX > IAH > AUS. So the brilliant idea is "I will just not get on the flight to AUS". This often works. But you can't check bags because the bags will go on to AUS. And there is a risk. Airlines have been known to go back to your CC and charge the higher LAX > IAH fare. The pax tactic is known as "hidden city" ticketing. Almost all airlines specifically forbid this practice and you can try to challenge the charge with your CC but most find that the CC will side with the airline because you did indeed break the rules.

The tactic you mentioned, not getting on the first leg, doesn't have a name. If it did it would be called the "sh!t outta luck" ticketing. Because you aint going to LAX like you thought. :D