Changes to OneWorld Award Ticket During Trip?
 

I'm in the middle of a long AA One-World award trip which includes YVR-LHR-CAI-LHR-ZRH-DFW-SFO. Mrs. DaveinSF is having second-thoughts about going to CAI so my question is whether it is possible to drop the LHR-CAI-LHR segments of our intinerary and just do YVR-LHR-ZRH-DFW-SFO and hopefully change the date of the LHR-ZRH flight?

That would be an unallowed routing change.

I think you're confusing paid tickets with award tickets (the latter being what the OP is talking about).

Why does she have 2nd thoughts about going to CAI?

Yep! :o

Post corrected to remove misleading information. :o

This lack of flexibility is one of the downsides of using OW awards instead of other award types. Absolutely no routing changes allowed and no getting around that. AA diligently enforces and actively polices it. If you no-show for the LHR-CAI flight, your award ends and the subsequent legs cannot be flown. AA's computer will be notified by BA's computer that you did not fly the leg, and this works 99% of the time. Occasionally mistakes happen, but you risk being stranded in Europe.

As mentioned, CAI is perfectly safe (as safe as London, Paris or Madrid). Other parts of Egypt, such as Sharm-el-Sheik, tend to get the terrorist activity, and not Cairo.

A brief update
 

Thought I'd update that the reps at AA told me that what the FT experts posted is true: you can't drop segments because that is considered a routing change. I also learned in trying to change dates you must find availability in the same class of service as your original ticket. So in my case that meant I couldn't change my business class OW ticket to include a coach segment if I changed a date.