How to earn Airpoints on Star Alliance partner flights

How Status Points work

Status Points are the measure Air New Zealand uses for progression through the Koru tiers, which run from Koru Bronze through Koru Silver, Koru Gold, Koru Platinum and Koru Black [6]. They can be earned on flights and with a Status Points earning credit card [6]. For flights, Air New Zealand says to enter the Koru number when booking, and notes that the number of Status Points earned changes depending on the ticket purchased [6]. The programme publishes a Status Points calculator for estimating a specific flight, and members track their progress in the member portal or the Air New Zealand app [6].

When a member earns enough Status Points within any 12-month period, the tier moves up immediately and the member receives the new benefits together with an end-of-tier date, defined as the last day of the calendar month 12 months in the future, when the account is next reviewed [6]. Benefits that have not been used expire when a member upgrades or downgrades tiers [6].

Which partner flights count as qualifying flights

Air New Zealand states plainly that qualifying flights differ by membership tier, so the same partner flight can behave differently depending on the tier being earned or retained [6]. For Koru Silver and Koru Gold, 50% of the required Status Points must be earned from qualifying flights, and the page lists Air New Zealand operated flights, qualifying partner airline flights, eligible Star Alliance flights and Status Points Bonus among the sources that count [6].

For Koru Platinum and Koru Black the share rises to 60%, and the definition narrows: qualifying flights there include Air New Zealand operated flights, qualifying partner airline flights and Status Points Bonus, while eligible Star Alliance flights can contribute to the total Status Points balance but do not count toward the 60% requirement [6]. Air New Zealand points readers to a separate qualifying partner flights page and to a Star Alliance page for the airline-level detail [6]. Star Alliance itself describes 26 member airlines reaching over 1,150 airports in 190 countries, a network description that says nothing about what any one flight credits to an Airpoints account [2].

Fare class and operating carrier

United's MileagePlus sets award miles for travel on Air New Zealand by fare class for tickets bought away from United, from 200% in full-fare business down to 25% in deep-discount economy; all other fare classes do not accrue mileage [3]. Award miles on codeshare flights are based on the operating carrier and its equivalent fare class, so the booking class purchased can differ from the booking class flown, which is what determines the miles credited [3].

Ethiopian Airlines' ShebaMiles publishes its own separate table for Air New Zealand operated flights, with business classes C, D, J and Z at 200% and a long list of economy classes at 100%, while classes L, G, S, K, P and F are shown at 0% [5]. That page also removes several classes from earning on Air New Zealand domestic flights, and others from Tasman and Pacific Islands flights [5]. These are United's and ShebaMiles' rules for travel on Air New Zealand, not Airpoints rules. United reserves the right to change eligible fare classes without notice [3], and ShebaMiles says classes and earning rates may change without notice [5]. Airpoints members therefore need the Air New Zealand figures for their specific flight rather than an assumption drawn from alliance membership [6].

Exceptions and limits

• Star Alliance flights are excluded from the Platinum and Black qualifying share. They still add to the total Status Points balance, but they do not satisfy the 60% qualifying-flights test for Koru Platinum and Koru Black [6].
• Credit card Status Points are capped in a different way. They count toward the total balance, but not toward the Status Points that must come from qualifying flights [6].
• Status Points are not permanent. They last 12 months from when they are earned, and unused benefits expire on a tier change [6].
• Earning is not the same as spending. Airpoints can be spent on Air New Zealand, Star Alliance and partner airline flights, either through the partner airline's online portal for flights operated by Star Alliance member airlines or partner airlines, or by calling Air New Zealand [4]. For partner reward tickets, Airpoints must cover the full ticket cost with no Airpoints Flexipay through the partner portal, taxes and surcharges are paid by card, availability is at the operating carrier's discretion, and the ticket is subject to the operating carrier's terms [4]. Redemption conditions of that kind say nothing about how many Airpoints Dollars or Status Points a flown partner segment will credit [4] [6].

Related pages

Programme: Air New Zealand Airpoints and Koru. Concepts: partner earning and the frequent flyer glossary. Alliance background: Star Alliance guide. Redemption: how to book Air New Zealand Koru awards.

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. It covers Air New Zealand's published Status Points and qualifying-flight rules and uses United MileagePlus and Ethiopian ShebaMiles only as examples of partner earning tables; it does not cover Airpoints Dollars earning rates on partner flights, booking-class lists for Airpoints on Star Alliance carriers, or the rules of other Star Alliance programmes beyond those examples.

1. Star Alliance member airlines, checked 18 October 2026
2. United MileagePlus: earn United miles on Air New Zealand, checked 18 October 2026
3. Air New Zealand: spending Airpoints on flights with Air New Zealand or partners, checked 18 October 2026
4. Ethiopian Airlines ShebaMiles: earning miles on Air New Zealand, checked 18 October 2026
5. Air New Zealand: Status Points and Koru tier progression, checked 18 October 2026