Originally Posted by
downinit
If the price is the same or close, always book with the operating carrier. In case of IRROPS, you will be in a much better position to reschedule flights if you booked via LH. Booking an LH flight via UA means that you will be at the mercy of whatever seats LH makes available to UA, and the flights you may want to get on may not be open to the agent from UA who will be rebooking your flight. Also, online seat selection on LH-group flights is a bit of a mess, and there is a very good chance you will NOT be able to select/change seats on the LH website/app if you book via UA (you will definitely not be able to select LH seats on the UA website). The miles earned are based on the airline you are flying on and the fare bucket of the ticket, so booking the same fare code will earn the same miles, regardless of where you book the flight. You will also not be eligible to bid for an upgrade on LH if you booked via UA.
IME, booking with the operating carrier is the best policy. However, if you book an LH flight through UA, you can most certainly select and change flights on the LH website. Given my successful experience with LH's bidding for upgrade policy over the past 6 years, I will always book on LH if it is the operating carrier.
Originally Posted by
angetenar
In all of my experiences booking LH group flights on 016 tickets, I've never had any such issues, and I've always been able to select seats online for LH/OS/LX flights.
Same here.