Feels like a no brainer on demand alone. Bay Area to India traffic is massive, especially to BLR and BOM, and a lot of people would happily jump ship from Air India if United offered a nonstop.
That said, it’s probably not that simple. Ultra long haul range, aircraft availability, and airspace restrictions over Russia still make these routes tough. United would likely need the right 787 variant with favorable winds and routing to make it work year round.
Still, if there ever was a carrier positioned to try it from SFO, United feels like the obvious candidate. Would be a huge quality upgrade for a lot of travelers.
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