Considerations for International Itinerary
 

I'm looking at options for a business trip to Asia (CLE-PVG) early next year. If I stay within the Star Alliance, there's a very good chance my itinerary will involve segments on AC (CLE-YYZ-PVG), NH (PVG-NRT), and UA (NRT-SFO-CLE). There are UA-only itinerary options, but their costs are nearly double the AC-NH-UA option. Corporate travel policy frowns on that. :td:

I'm trying to evaluate what the impact to my MP mileage accrual will be if my itinerary is on a United (016) ticket versus an AC or NH ticket. My understanding is that, generally speaking, if I'm on a United ticket, I'll receive mileage based on fare and premier status; if I'm on an AC or NH ticket, my MP mileage accrual will be based on distance and fare class. I'll receive credit for PQS and PQD no matter which airline issues my ticket.

Is my understanding correct and am I missing any relevant details for my comparison?

Thank you.

Not quite. If a non-016 ticket, non-UA segments will get no PQDs.

You will not receive PQD credit for non United flights on non 016 tickets.

You'll want to familiarize yourself with the Star Alliance partner earnings page. Each type of MP credit is handled slightly differently:

Award miles (RDM) are awarded based on the cost of your ticket and Premier status, if issued on 016 stock, and based on flight distance and fare class otherwise (see charts).

Status miles (PQM and/or PQS) are based on flight distance according to the charts. Note that your ticket must be eligible for RDM to be eligible for PQM. Note that some fare classes give partial PQM and zero PQS (although PQS is usually not what you're going for if crossing oceans).

PQD are earned only if your ticket is issued on 016 stock.

Correct - any 016 ticket will earn based on $ (with multiplier for premier status), including on partner-operated segments. Any ticket on a * partner will be based on the MP tables listed on UA.com, which will be based on distance and fare class (as well as RDM bonus based on elite status). Exception is UA segments on partner-issued tickets, where RDM will still be based on $ paid.

PQD will not apply on any partner segment that is issued on non-UA ticket.

Thank you, all. I stand corrected.