you got some great advice from spainflyer.
question--why not get as far east as possible for your gateway using SW? then add your zed from there?
I guess the biggest risk is flying standby from AA hub as OAL, competing for seats with their employees.
Just a possible consideration...you may find a much cheaper fare for your conf'd pax out of NYC or DC?
I'm pretty ignorant of SW destinations on the east coast, so i may be waaaay off base.
Rule one: Flexibility!!
Another consideration--those zeds could be pretty $$--maybe you should all look at rev tkts.