Obsession with twngan

Since I am going to France for Middleware in November, it is natural for me to see if I could exploit it and save money and/or travel time going to Hong Kong on the same trip. During the search, I've uncovered the following facts:

1. To fly from France to Hong Kong with Continental, you have to stop at New York.
2. Despite the fact that Continental has code-share with Air France, you can't fly Air France to Hong Kong.
3. If you want to fly Air France all the way instead, the trip from Hong Kong back to Houston has to stop at Paris.
4. The lady answering phone calls in Cantonese in Continental has not heard of Lyon; in fact, she thinks Paris is the only city in France.
5. It is cheaper to buy the trip Houston → Lyon → New York → Hong Kong → Houston or two separate trips Houston → Lyon → New York and New York → Hong Kong → Houston, than the more natural trip of Houston → Lyon → Hong Kong → Houston, even though they have exactly the same flights.
6. This trip, alone, suffices elite status in Continental.