Is the company flexible on this at all? By this I mean it is often cheaper to buy a ticket which goes NRT-LAX than ANC-LAX. Will they look at the cost in this situation or is it an absolute necessity to originate in the US?
Yes, they are flexible. Talked to a capt living in the Phillipines and they will often buy him a ticket from an overseas location.
Also, heard of a guy who was to DH multiple ATlas legs out of the states and stay in a few hotels. They ended up buying him a ticket direct from the US to his initial trip starting point in Europe/Middle East after a few days of R1 at home, as that was cheaper for the company than the original DH/hotel plan.