If your online booking is successful you will receive the Confirmation Letter with the booking details, from PNR to itinerary to ticket numbers to payment details. The AS PNR actually is on the Letter's subject line. The partner airline's PNR is in the Letter's body, Right Under the Partner flight information.

I just double-checked the successful LAX-HKG online booking - the CX PNR is right underneath the CX flight information.

Are you saying all your bookings made online, assuming they were successful bookings, never got Confirmation Letter? Or you do not realize the info is inside the body of the email?

My failed booking never generates a Confirmation Letter hence I get the PNRs from the agent when I sensed something was very screwy because she said, "I need to charge you additional miles to upgrade you to Premium Business..." That was a Red Flag that something was screwed up.