Originally Posted by
Kim Evans
Is anyone aware of a way to book through United and then go back to Lufthansa to pay their fee for a seat assignment?
Welcome to FT.
If you decide to book through UA. You can call up UA - give them the UA PNR and get the LH PNR. Then you can use the LH PNR to book your seat on the LH website.
Mileage benefits... what the previous 2 posters said. If you're based in the US and looking to build status then PQD could be important to you. If it isn't then LH could be the better option in this case. Although you would want to consider your over travel plans and goals and not decide on mileage earnings for a single trip. That strategy would lead to having a bunch of orphan miles across different programs.