Yes, these codeshare rules are clear as mud. auh2o is correct, the flight miles on Star alliance partners count towards miles for reaching elite status, but do not count towards the miles on which they give you upgrade certificates. And I believe that only Lufthansa codeshares are eligible for the elite bonus (Rudi is the guru here, I myself fly only within the US so I have not bothered to fully investigate all the rules).

There is one thing I wish United would implement - if you have a United codeshare ticket, i.e. if your ticket says United flight numbers, then they should extend all benefits normally associated with United flights (like Premier bonus, qualification for upgrade certs, million mile etc.)

[This message has been edited by pgupta011 (edited 09-01-1999).]