[hunter2_]

I agree with most of your points, except I'm not sure about this:

> when you fail to board Airplane B that event gets flagged. Not a huge deal but you might have a problem getting a refund

The passenger would cancel that refundable B ticket right after security, before boarding begins. Or is this impossible after checking into the flight which happens before security?

[dreamcompiler]

Good question. I don't know. It likely depends on the airline's policies.