Originally Posted by
jsloan
You're extremely unlikely to be able to plate SQ31/32 or SQ1/2 on a UA ticket. SQ and UA don't get along well at all, and SQ has tightened up plating restrictions on most of its fares anyway. And you're unlikely to be able to use UA1/2 via SIN either, because UA will only route SFO-MAA TATL on inexpensive fares (I believe that's common across all of their US-India fares). UA would like you to consider something like SFO-FRA-MAA, or SFO-SEA-FRA-MAA. (It's actually not that much longer time-wise than SFO-SIN-MAA).
Kinda figured that would be the case...also UA 1/2 timings are such that net travel time balloons from 22 hours to 32+ hours (huge gap between time of arrival of inbound flight and follow-up connection).
SFO-FRA-MAA isn’t a bad deal at all (actually ends up being more palatable as it avoids the monster 16 hour SFO-SIN leg), but there is some weirdness with the FRA-MAA connection timing. Return journey consistently clocks in at 22-24 hours, but onward journey typically shows 32-42 hours. If I were traveling solo, no complaints, but I typically fly out with my parents and my grandmother, so shorter is best.