Glossary
Marketing vs Operating Carrier: Why It Matters for Earning
On many flights, the airline that sold you the ticket is not the airline that flies the aircraft. The airline whose code is on your ticket is the marketing carrier; the airline actually operating the flight is the operating carrier. The difference is the source of a lot of confusion about status earning — and a lot of missed Tier Points.
How to spot a codeshare
If your ticket shows a flight number for one airline but the booking says "operated by" another, you are on a codeshare. For example, a flight sold as British Airways but operated by American Airlines, or sold as Qantas but operated by Finnair.
Why earning can change
The amount of status you earn usually depends on the operating carrier and the operating booking class — not the airline whose code is on your ticket. Because each airline maps fare classes differently, the marketing class you bought can map to a different operating class, which can earn a different amount.
This means two tickets that look identical on the booking site can earn different Tier Points, Status Credits or Loyalty Points once you account for who actually operates each segment. Always check the operating carrier before assuming an earning rate.