Originally Posted by Dylan63

OK, I got this figured out, finally. As a couple of posters pointed out (THANK YOU) , Air China doesn't give any credit for a certain class of service.

I called the tour agency (Friendly Planet) and they told us that (despite earlier incorrect information from one of their employees) Air China grants no miles because the tickets are "group space" and are heavily discounted.

United's Mileage Plus customer service could have saved me a few hours of grief by telling me this (or suggesting this) and Air China could have done the same by giving us an accurate reason for denying credit, instead of just saying they had no record of us on the flights in question.

I guess they realistic view here has to be: you're just a customer, and you don't mean squat to us and we can't even be troubled to give you real help if you need it. Don't bother us unless you're flying first or business class.