United appears to have changed the PQM (Premier Qualifying Mile) earnings for a number of its Star Alliance partners over night.

Significantly very few carriers now earn more than 1 times the miles flown as PQM.

So, for example, in the past an Air New Zealand flight taken in Business Class would have earned 1.5 times for United PQM’s.

This is gone now, with most airlines earning the same number of PQM’s in premium cabins as you earn for a number of coach fares. Elite Qualifying Segments have also been reduced to 1.0, typically from 1.5.

The exceptions are – Air Canada, ANA, Austrian, Brussels, COPA, Lufthansa, SAS, Swiss and USAirways.

So, if you have flights booked with partners, check earning levels if they are essential to earning status before you have a nasty shock.