Ok here's the deal.

I'm looking to get myself to CPT in the next few months. I'm not too concerned about upgrading to F or J, just looking to maximize accrual of AE while minimizing cost and time.

So far I've checked out Kayak and got several "multiple airlines" offers at a reasonable price. Of course the problem lies in the code sharing between AE partners. So my questions are as follows:

1. When a flight # (let's say LH) is operated by another carrier (let's say SAA), who will be giving out the points? (SAA seems to be much more liberal than LH in offering up the miles).

2. How can one be certain they are going to get a full return on miles (not 50%, 25% or 0%) when booking through Kayak (or another online source).

3. Are there AE carriers you would recommend for 100% accrual? So far I find AC, UA, BMi and SAA to be the better options, over LH. Thoughts?

Thanks so much in advance FT'ers!