UA Codeshare, how does it work?
 

It seems a simple question but I didn't find an answer in wiki. Codeshare, in my understanding, is UA can sell tickets on partner airlines, e.g. LH123 is also UA4567, etc.. I suppose they share revenues, otherwise, why would UA credit PQD of *A flights? So UA gets a piece of the action. Here is something I don't quite understand.

Trip 1: SFO - FRA on UA, FRA - EU on LH. The whole ticket was 016 and all PQM/PQS/PQD were credited. Even the LH seg with no UA flight number was credited.

Trip 2: SFO - PEK on UA, PEK - Chinese city on CA. I had to do two tickets, the UA segs were on 016 and CA segs were on another ticket. Of course, on CA segs, I got PQM but no PQD. So there is no benefit of buying CA domestic flights in the US because same tix are cheaper in China assuming no connection issues.

Does this mean that for CA, only some flights are codeshared and for LH, all flights are codeshared? What about other partners? How do I find out which segments of *A are shared and which are not? It's more fun flying on different *A flights while still get PQMs and it wasn't a problem in pre-PQD days, until now.

The situation is a tiny bit more complicated than what you have described. Not all partner carrier flights carry a "codeshare" arrangement — depends on what's been negotiated between UA and the partners. Often but not always, flights to/from cities served by UA will carry a codeshare.

You can, however, earn PQD even on a flight that does not carry a UA flight number, as long as the ticket was issued by United (016 ticket stock) and as long as the flight earns PQM. UA can issue a ticket on the nonstop LHR-IST (operated by TK with a TK flight number), and if you do it in an expensive fare class that accrues miles to MileagePlus, you'll also earn PQD. This also means that if you buy a flight ORD-PVG-xxx with the PVG-xxx on an Air China flight number (not a UA codeshare), you will still earn PQD. And again, it is possible for UA to issue a ticket which carries a flight that does not have a UA number (either on its own or in combination with a UA flight). As long as it's *A carrier and mileage-accrual-eligible, it will also earn PQD.

UA credits PQD for all mileage earning fares on Star Alliance partners ticketed on 016 stock.

The issue is not that they need the code on it, but they need to see the revenue on the flight. They apparently only see it on a per flight basis if they issued the ticket and/or they're flying it.

It's pretty simple (and very complex at the same time):

For flights governed by a Joint Venture (UA, AC, and LH across the atlantic, UA and AC transborder, or UA and NH transpacific). All the money for the ticket goes to the joint venture, the money is then split up between the airlines in the Joint Venture per a negotiated agreement from when the Joint Venture was created.

For flights not governed by a Joint Venture, code-share or not, the ticket revenue is divided per international tariff rules.

How do I ensure they are all on 016? In my examples, I booked them on American Express travel online, clicked purchase. Trip1 was on 016, but trip2 was split and came to me in two tickets as well as two charges on AmEx card. There was also a trip where UA and non-*A in the same itin were split into two automatically, I guess that was expected.

This makes sense. How and where do I find out such JV agreement? Right now I only found out after ticketing, and if I don't like it, have to call within 24 hr to cancel.

If you want to earn PQD on a *A partner's flight, all of the following must be true:
- The ticket must be issued on UA 016 stock
- The fare must be published (anything from united.com or over the phone is; if you choose to use a TA ask them for a published fare not a bulk fare)
- The operating carrier booking class must earn award miles (also known here as RDM)
-- If you're booking a codeshare, the booking class on the operating carrier (EF and other tools can provide you the mapping) is the one the matters

For example I had a flight Friday:
- Issued on UA 016 stock
- On a published fare (VKX76NCE)
- Which booked in to K on the operating carrier, TAP
So per the chart I earned 50% award miles and thus PQD, 50% PQM, and 0 PQS.

Today I had another segment on the same ticket/fare which booked into V on the operating carrier, LH. So per the chart I earned 175% award miles and thus PQD, 100% PQM, and 1 PQS.

Codeshares are mostly irrelevant to PQD earning; they'll never cause you to earn PQD, they may cause you to not earn PQD because of booking class mapping (where your booking class on the operating carrier doesn't earn miles, and thus doesn't earn PQD).

The JVs are irrelevant to PQD earning.

Booking class is not an issue. My problem is I can't get them all issued on 016 stock. They split and I only knew after ticketing.