If I had to guess the likelihood of this happening is low due to the ANA JV. Off the top of my head, I can only think of DPS as a notable hole in the ANA SE Asia network. Where UA and SQ should partner up is secondary Indian cities - apologies if we are saying the same thing but I think of India as a separate region from SE Asia.

and it is a gateway to the large & growing Indonesian market.

I don't disagree from UA's perspective, but from the passenger's perspective, SIN is an attractive connection point for most of SE Asia. And NH's use of regional aircraft on many routes longer than 5 hours is a big negative. The timing of the TYO flights is also an issue - if you're going to SE Asia, you get a late night arrival (from the US), and an early morning departure (back to US). While that works for some, others (including me) prefer the opposite.

As a practical matter, UA not codesharing with SQ can be the difference between flying UA or choosing another carrier (e.g., SQ, CX, or BR) that offers more attractive options to SE Asia. That's been my story this year.

Completely agree with this.

I've started taking a lot more risky UA + BR connections in TPE for this very reason. Even though it's a separate ticket, and I run the connection risk, it's USUALLY ok, and I can get to many SEAsia destinations a few hours earlier than via TYO. When that's the difference between getting to my hotel at 11pm or midnight, versus 1 or 2am, it's a fairly significant difference indeed!

They just don't play well together @:-)

There's a reason why SQ's codeshares in US are on AS and not UA ;)

Actually, SQ codeshares with UA on some domestic flights now (and possibly with B6 also? I seem to remember that). So, here's hoping the relationship is thawing. (The codeshares are ex-IAH, which is probably why they picked UA, but, still, baby steps. :)

Still, between UA preferring to put people on NH and SQ preferring to have people fly SQ metal TPAC, it's hard for me to see there being a huge market for UA codeshares on short-haul SQ flights (or for UA fares that allow the use of those same SQ flights; the codeshare isn't really necessary).

I think there's a business case on both sides - UA would pick up business that would otherwise fly other carriers TPAC, while SQ would pick up connecting traffic that would otherwise route through TYO on NH.

Not saying it will happen. The comment which sparked this discussion was aspirational, not predictive.

There will be 13 additional 787-9 scheduled to be delivered to UA from 2020 onwards.

Kind of curious to see how these get deployed - it doesn't seem like it will be quite in the window for the older 772 retirements, but 789 is too much plane for the routes plied by 763/764. I hope there are some new routes ^, although I'm sure part of it depends on the price of oil / distillates when they get delivered.

I'm not sure what that means. They are very close (esp 764) in seating capacity. While 789 has greater range, it's also an efficient aircraft and need not be used on ultra-long haul to be profitable. Other airlines (e.g., NH) are using it for medium range flights. (And UA already uses it on some of the 5-6k mile routes that can also be flown by 763/4).

Yikes! Looking to travel SFO-SIN Dec 15th - Jan 6th. The lowest fare on the non stop flight is approx $7.5k (the other option is $10k).

Don't recall it being this high in previous years(s).

I just don't see the business case for SQ to code share with UA in a major way (other than at a hub with no options). There is no steam of traffic that UA is going to feed into SIN that SQ can't already carry. No new markets open up for them that AS/B6 does not offer them. All UA would do would be to put someone into a SQ regional/shorter range flight off the long UA SFO-SIN flight, which (a) has lower profits, and (b) SQ could sell to directly. And given that UA has an incentive to route the traffic via the ANA JV, the rates that UA is going to give is not going to be favorable. The result is not much of a market, and one that would be cannibalizing from sales that SQ might otherwise get on own metal on the head to head SFO-SIN flights (or off the new new EWR/LAX flights).

And on the other end, SQ has no shortage of options (except at IAH, where they do code share) which is happy to take the feed and evidently offer a better deal than UA is.

If SQ were to fly into DEN or into ORD, Then i would expect them to code share, but not ex-SFO.