I'm looking for one-way award travel (economy) from PPT to SMF on 10-8-20. Today, UA quotes 73,500 miles for the best direct routing with change in SFO, but mysteriously quotes 62,500 if I take an additional flight from SFO to LAX and then another flight LAX-SMF. Meanwhile, UA quotes 64,500 for PPT to SFO, and 70,000 PPT-LAX via SFO. All of these quotes are high compared to 35,000 PPT-SMF on the immediately prior flight on 10-6-20, or a week later on 10-15. As flights first came on the radar 11 months out, initial quotes were as high as 140,000.

What's going on here? I'm thinking that it's still early, and that I should wait to see what happens. As SFO is a mandatory customs and immigration stop, I'm also thinking I could eventually opt for the SMF itinerary via LAX and then just get off in SFO and just not use the two unneeded ticket segments, with checked luggage in hand (no rechecking after customs), and take Amtrak from SFC/SFF to SAC via the BART connection.