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Freddie Awards
Frequent Guest Program Program of the Year Americas Marriott Rewards Marriott Rewards is on top for the second consecutive year with a worth-writing-home-to-mom-about 9.52 value vote. That's very close to 10 out of 10! That is the highest value vote of any category in the Americas ballot. And you will soon see that Marriott has garnered the highest value vote overall, between the 12 nomination value votes Marriott received in the Americas ballot, the value vote overall is 9.24--quite an accomplishment. This is Marriott's 10th win in this category and with 47.62 percent of the vote, it's clear that Marriott Rewards members are the most vocal. Members are pleased to take advantage of Marriott's popular MegaBonus promotions, air travel award packages, PointSaver hotel stays at up to 33 percent off and they can track up to five of their dream travel awards through the DreamRewards Tracker online. At number two with a value vote of 9.42 (which is better by .22 over last year's winning value vote) is Hilton HHonors, edging out last year's number two IHG Priority Club Rewards, with its 9.39 value vote. It's worth noting that all top five finishers in this category earned a value vote over 9.35. Choice Privileges comes in fourth for the third consecutive year. Starwood Hotels, a six-time winner of Program of the Year, finished fifth, down from third last year. Observation: Seven programs qualified by obtaining at least two percent of votes last year, only five did it this year. Last year, five programs had value votes below nine, this year ... none. Looks like members are becoming increasingly happy with their hotel loyalty programs. Category votes 354,759
Frequent Flyer Program Program of the Year Europe, Middle East, Africa Virgin Atlantic Airways Flying Club This is Virgin Atlantic's first win for Program of the Year. And a remarkable win it is when you consider Flying Club's placement in last year's Freddies--ninth place--and 10th place the year before. Virgin Atlantic has a sterling reputation for comfort and a bit of whimsy in flight and those qualities spill into the airline's frequent flyer program. When members use their miles to upgrade at Virgin Atlantic, they will certainly feel valued. And along with cash and miles awards and occasional very good award sales, members have inventive and valuable ways to spend their miles. Also of value is the Flying Hub members-only section in Flying Club's Web site where members are treated to exclusive offers and "fantastic competitions." Virgin Atlantic just edges out last year's winner, Etihad Guest, by .04 in their respective value votes. At third place for the second consecutive year is Lufthansa (and Partners) Miles & More with a respectable 8.98 value vote and an equally respectable 27.99 percent of the votes. Last year's number two program, Gulf Air Frequent flyer, placed eighth this year. Of interest is SAS EuroBonus, a seven-time Freddie Award winner of Program of the Year International (before the International award was divided into Europe, Middle East, Africa and Japan, Pacific, Asia, Australia) placing 10th this year and 12th last year. Another former winner of this category, TAP Portugal Victoria, placed seventh this year and yet another winner, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, is not to be seen on the top finishers list because the program did not get the required two percent of votes. Category votes 83,501
Frequent Guest Program Program of the Year Europe, Middle East, Africa Starwood Hotels Starwood Preferred Guest Starwood Preferred Guest comes in at number one again this year for the fourth time in this five-year-old category (the program won Program of the Year International four times before the International Award was divided into geographical areas). Starwood continues to do what it takes to keep its worldwide membership base happy. Members like the choice of hotels throughout the world as well as worldwide promotions, the flexibility the program offers and its stellar hospitality. Voters commented that Starwood keeps them well informed and entices them to stay with innovative promotions and voters especially appreciate the quality of the hotel properties and room upgrades. Coming in at number two this year is Hilton HHonors, a former winner of Program of the Year International. HHonors takes the place of last year's number two program, Marriott Rewards, which is in third place this year and is also a former winner in this category. The Hilton HHonors program jumped up from a sixth place finish last year, no doubt from a renewed effort of promoting the value of their program and starting to offer more global bonus promotions. Good news? All these programs are getting better in the minds of their members. Last year, two programs had value votes below eight, this year, all programs were above eight. Category votes 71,885
Frequent Flyer Program Program of the Year Japan, Pacific, Asia, Australia Virgin Blue Velocity Make room for another Virgin. Last year's number two program in this category, Virgin Blue Velocity, made it to the top this year, upsetting two-time consecutive winner, Jet Airways JetPrivilege, which came in at number two this year. Virgin Blue Velocity is known for the ease of award redemption, and as we all know, easy award redemption goes straight to the heart of a frequent traveler. If a member has the points, he can access any available seat on the plane. The frequent flyer program also offers good value award sales and the added fun of sweepstakes where members can win points, among other program perks. Many voters commented on the friendliness of the Virgin Blue staff and the "fairness" of the loyalty program. Velocity has a solid fan base. Oh, did we mention the addition of V Australia to the program? Their members have. At number three, Kingfisher Airlines King Club, makes its debut in the top three for Program of the Year JPAA. Of interest is the strong showing of Lufthansa (and Partners) Miles & More outside Europe--a testament to that program's global reach. Northwest Airlines WorldPerks is the only North American-based program to gain enough votes to place in the top finishers at number nine--it was at number nine last year as well--and was joined by fellow U.S. airline, United Mileage Plus, at number 12 last year, but United didn't garner enough votes this year to make the cut. Former winners in this category, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Emirates Skywards, are keeping each other company at numbers five and six, respectively. Category votes 61,462
Frequent Guest Program Program of the Year Japan, Pacific, Asia, Australia Starwood Hotels Starwood Preferred Guest No other hotel program has ever won for Program of the Year in this area of the world. Starwood Preferred Guest continues to reign in this region, helped along by its no blackout date policy on free night awards and the high level of service SPG members receive. SPG members can earn free nights at more than 940 hotels and resorts in 97 countries. Marriott Rewards comes in second for the fourth year in a row with a value vote of 8.88 and hot on Marriott's heels is Hilton HHonors with its value vote of 8.87--an impressive move up for HHonors from sixth place last year. Hyatt Gold Passport was third for the last two Freddie Awards but this year the program finds itself at number five. Observation: In the Americas category, all finalists earned a value vote of nine or better. In EMEA, the finalist value votes were a mixture of eights and nines. Here, no finalist achieved any value vote of nine, nor did any finalist last year or the year before. Category votes 42,511
Best Award Just about everyone remembers their first award. Nothing beats the thrill and delight of getting that free flight to your dream destination or a free stay where you can lay your head down at the end of the day in luxurious linens that someone has thoughtfully prepared for you. And while many frequent flyers say that they are only in it for the upgrades, or that the last thing they want to do after logging 200,000 flight miles a year is get on another plane, there's still no substitute for the pleasure of earning an award. Whether it's a free ticket to a tropical locale or extending your business trip and staying at a hotel you would normally never think of staying, awards please us all and are a link to every program's success. Although all programs have standard award offers to satisfy their members, they also offer special awards to keep us engaged and interested. Freddie voters let us know which awards offer the best value and are the most rewarding for the number of miles or points required. Frequent Flyer Program Best Award Americas British Airways Executive Club This is Executive Club's first win in this category and the program's first ever Freddie win. And although it might come as a surprise that a British airline should win in the Americas category, it simply demonstrates the globalization of the airlines and their frequent flyer programs. And a good, straightforward deal is appreciated by all--in this instance, half off all flight awards to all British Airways destinations in all flight classes. Coming in at number two is our Program of the Year winner, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, which has two prior wins under its belt, but has not been voted into the top spot in this category in the last five Freddie Awards. Mileage Plan's offer also demonstrates a good value and simple concept--intra-state awards for only 15,000 miles roundtrip or 7,500 miles one-way. No muss, no fuss. Following closely behind Alaska's value vote of 8.87 is AirTran Airways A+ Rewards value vote of 8.84 for its popular any airline, any destination award for 100 A+ credits. This category has seen quite the shake up from the previous year when Southwest Airlines, Midwest Airlines and Frontier Airlines claimed the top three spots. Alaska Mileage Plan moved up from number four to the second place in this year's Freddies. Category votes 299,496
Frequent Guest Program Best Award Americas InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club Rewards IHG Priority Club Rewards should be pleased with this win, which brings them to the top in the Best Award category for the third time, but they have not won this category for the two previous years. Members truly appreciate the PointBreaks award nights at up to 88 percent off. Priority Club Rewards just edged out last year's winner, Marriott Rewards, by only a .06 value vote difference. Marriott has won this category nine times but placed second this year, followed by Hilton HHonors, a four-time former winner of this category. Of particular interest is that Marriott Rewards placed second with the same offer that won the category for them in last year's Freddie Awards and IHG Priority Club Rewards placed second last year with basically the same offer they won with this year. Anyone up for a game of musical chairs? It's clear that Choice Privileges is a contender and remains among the top programs with its second consecutive fourth place finish. Last year they gained attention with gift cards (and in particular Wal-Mart gift cards) and this year--Hawaii. We are a little surprised by the finish of the new SPG Flights award. This is certainly an award that a traveler might have to actually use to fully appreciate its flexibility and purpose. Over time, this award option may rise in the ratings. Category votes 375,752
Frequent Flyer Program Best Award Europe, Middle East, Africa Virgin Atlantic Airways Flying Club This year's EMEA Program of the Year winner, Virgin Atlantic Airways Flying Club, takes home a Freddie for Best Award by being the only program to earn a value vote over nine in this category. Flying Club members could take advantage of half-off award sales in all cabins throughout the year. This is the fifth year that this Freddie category has been awarded and this is the first time that Flying Club will be taking home a Freddie in this category. Last year's winner, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, did not place in this category. In second place is Etihad Guest with its 50 percent off award sale. Etihad Guest placed third in this category last year while Gulf Air Frequent flyer was second. This year's third place goes to Brussels Airlines Privilege, moving up from fifth place last year with its monthly award specials. The only frequent flyer program to repeat wins in this category was TAP Portugal Victoria but they are not on the top finishers list this year. Category votes 80,751
Frequent Guest Program Best Award Europe, Middle East, Africa Hilton HHonors Hilton HHonors takes home the Freddie for the first time in the EMEA Best Award category. HHonors members could take advantage of six award nights with no capacity controls for reduced rates. HHonors knocks Marriott off the pinnacle this year after Marriott's three consecutive wins. This year, Marriott is number two with its popular travel packages while former winner in this category, Starwood Preferred Guest, moves down from number two last year to the number three spot this year. SPG introduced SPG Flights this year where members could redeem Starpoints for airline tickets. Note that all three top finishers were very close in their value votes: 8.74, 8.73 and 8.70. We noticed that the lowest scored award in this category is to convert hotel points to airline miles. With an ever growing awareness of the value of hotel points vs. airline miles, this seems to represent a trend and can be seen as an overall vote on the value of the Hyatt Gold Passport offer. Category votes 75,066
Frequent Flyer Program Best Award Japan, Pacific, Asia, Australia Virgin Blue Velocity This year's Program of the Year in the Japan, Pacific, Asia and Australia region, Virgin Blue Velocity, takes home another Freddie, this time for Best Award. Members of Velocity could claim a flight award for a 98.5 percent discount (yes, you read that right--98.5 percent) on two popular Virgin Blue routes. Last year's winner, Jet Airways JetPrivilege, came in at number two with its award offer of a free international ticket when flying select domestic sectors--a fine offer from a fine frequent flyer program. At number three this year was Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer with its half-off award offer. Category votes 62,748
Frequent Guest Program Best Award Japan, Pacific, Asia, Australia Starwood Preferred Guest Starwood Preferred Guest is a repeat winner in this category, but has not won in the last three years when Marriott Rewards took top honors. SPG wins this year with its new SPG Flights award offer. At number two this year is Hilton HHonors with their Going Global VIP award and number three is last year's winner, Marriott Rewards, followed extremely closely by IHG Priority Club Rewards. Of interest is that Marriott Rewards won for all three regional ballots in the Best Award category last year, but lost the top position in all three this year. Observation: In the Americas, the SPG Flights award offer finished dead last for value and the Hyatt Gold Passport points-for-miles offer did not even qualify. In the regional EMEA category, SPG Flights did better at number three. And while Hyatt's conversion to miles award finished last in EMEA, it at least qualified. In this region, SPG Flights rockets to the top and Hyatt's miles conversion rises to the middle of the pack with its value vote. This certainly seems to point out that JPAA members value airline awards more than their Americas or EMEA counterparts. Category votes 47,178
Best Bonus Promotion They don't call them bonuses for nothing. Bonus offers keep program members engaged in the program and motivate them to action. Bonus offers are good for business--and are certainly good for the account balance of members. Through the years, programs have offered some very inventive and entertaining bonus promotions and it's always a pleasure to see which bonuses have truly captured the members' attention. Voters were asked to vote on the bonus promotion that was most rewarding. Frequent Flyer Program Best Bonus Promotion Americas American AAdvantage The granddaddy of all frequent flyer programs and currently the largest FFP in the world takes home the Freddie this year for its double elite-qualifying miles bonus offer--the only program in this category to earn a value vote over nine. Not only did the promotion offer members a faster route to elite, but it also included special offers for current elite-level members. This is the third win for AAdvantage in this category, but the last time American AAdvantage won a Freddie Award in any category was more than a decade ago. Last year's winner in this category, Delta SkyMiles, fell to the eighth position while eight-time winner, Southwest Rapid Rewards, is in second place with a multi-partner bonus offer. In a not too distant third place this year is AirTran Airways A+ Rewards. Last year's second place program, Northwest WorldPerks, fell to sixth place with its Elite ExtraPerks offer. Category votes 284,572
Frequent Guest Program Best Bonus Promotion Americas InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club Rewards IHG Priority Club Rewards once again finds itself at the top of the Best Bonus Promotion category. This is the program's sixth consecutive win and this year Priority Club won with its offer of double points or double miles after a member's second stay. The offer gained a value vote of 9.27 and was followed once again by six-time winner in this category, Marriott Rewards, which has placed second behind IHG three times in this category. Marriott Rewards gained a value vote this year of 9.16 with its popular MegaBonus offer. Last year, the winner in this category got a value vote of 8.952--that value vote would have placed seventh in this year's rankings. Coming in at the number three position this year is Choice Privileges with its triple points offer. Choice Privileges was also third last year, and the top four finishers mirror the top four for last year. The results here seem to reflect an overall feeling--keep bonuses simple. While Starwood's number seven bonus seems to have offered the same value of other bonuses--or even better because the bonus was personalized--it didn't score as high as you would expect, perhaps because there were too many choices for members to choose from. Category votes 346,576
Frequent Flyer Program Best Bonus Promotion Europe, Middle East, Africa Etihad Airways Etihad Guest This is the first win in this category for Etihad Guest. Members were treated to the possibility of winning up to 600,000 miles simply for booking their flights online. At number two is Delta SkyMiles with its birthday offer. This is the highest ranking SkyMiles has received in this category. The program placed ninth last year and did not make the list the year before. Coming in at number three is Brussels Airlines Privilege with its birthday promotion. Brussels Privilege was at the number two spot last year with another birthday promotion. Last year's number three finisher, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, can be seen at number eight this year. Last year's winner in this category, El Al Israel Airlines Matmid Club, came in at a respectable number four, followed closely by TAP Portugal Victoria at number five. It's interesting to note that in the five years since this category has been in existence, there has been no repeat winner--a sign of healthy competition. Category votes 68,400
Frequent Guest Program Best Bonus Promotion Europe, Middle East, Africa Marriott Rewards Marriott Rewards wins Best Bonus Promotion in EMEA for the third consecutive year--winning again with its ever popular MegaBonus where members could earn up to 50,000 bonus points. At number two this year is Hilton HHonors, replacing last year's number two, Starwood Preferred Guest. HHonors members could get up to sextuple miles with the popular promotion. In third place is InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club Rewards, which was third last year, and a former winner of this category. As a matter of comparison, you'll notice that Marriott's MegaMiles promotion finished much farther down the scale than their award-winning MegaBonus promotion. Radisson goldpoints plus is keeping its program in the limelight by again qualifying for Freddie consideration. Last year's 5 for 5 promotion scored a value vote of 7.89, this year's market promotion scored a value vote of 7.89. Hyatt is another program that seems to have hit a ceiling with their members and bonus value. Last year's Faster Free Nights scored a value vote of 7.82 vs. this year's value vote of the same promotion of 7.99. Category votes 68,716
Frequent Flyer Program Best Bonus Promotion Japan, Pacific, Asia, Australia Kingfisher Airlines King Club This is the first Freddie Award win for Kingfisher Airlines King Club in any category. The program wins Best Bonus this year with an exceptional bonus miles offer to celebrate the launch of international service. The program came in at number two in this category last year, so the Freddie win this year comes as no surprise. Coming in at second place is Program of the Year winner Virgin Blue Velocity with its American Express Membership Rewards transfer promotion and at number three is Korean Air Skypass. Two-time and last year's winner, Jet Airways JetPrivilege, falls to fourth place this year. Category votes 58,269
Frequent Guest Program Best Bonus Promotion Japan, Pacific, Asia, Australia Hilton HHonors This is the first Best Bonus Promotion win in this region for Hilton HHonors. The program won this year with its popular Hilton Extra Nights promotion where members received free nights when paying for a specified number of nights. And along with the free nights, they received bonus points and double miles per stay. Number two this year is Marriott Rewards with its MegaBonus. Marriott placed third last year with its MegaBonus offer. At number three this year is Starwood Preferred Guest and its SPG You Choose promotion. Hyatt Gold Passport won the Freddie last year with its Faster Free Nights promotion, but this year with the same promotion, the program fell to fourth place. Category votes 43,293
Best Affinity Credit Card Choosing your frequent flyer program might be easy, but choosing the credit card that offers you the best value and opportunities for earning miles or points takes a bit more effort. Other than flying or staying at a hotel, this is the most prevalent way to earn miles and points and many frequent travelers would never consider giving up their affinity credit card to earn points or miles. With an affinity credit card, each purchase brings members one step closer to an award, without having to go any further than their local grocery store or online shopping mall. Voters were asked to vote on the affinity credit card offering the best benefits and opportunities to earn bonus miles or points. Best Affinity Credit Card Americas Starwood Preferred Guest American Express For the third year in a row, Starwood Preferred Guest American Express takes home the Freddie for Best Affinity Credit Card. The card wins with its favorable conversions to miles in over 30 frequent flyer programs, double points for Starwood spends, fee-free the first year and $45 thereafter and the no-capacity controls award redemption. Diners was the tops in this category for nine consecutive years, but has fallen off the charts in the last three Freddie Awards. The second and third place winners from the last two years have traded places this year with Marriott Rewards Premier Visa Signature Card coming in at number two and American Express Membership Rewards finishing in the third place spot. Alaska Airlines is the top finisher for the airlines with its Visa Signature Card at fourth place. Last year, Delta Air Lines was the top finisher for airlines with its SkyMiles American Express; this year, the card placed 11th. Don't look now but airline affiliated credit cards continue to lose ground to hotel affiliated credit cards. Last year, co-branded airline cards represented 69 percent of the qualified cards, this year, 56 percent. AirTran entered into consideration this year and finished a very respectable sixth (Rising Star?) while Midwest Airlines (at number nine last year) did not garner enough ballots to qualify this year. Category votes 252,396
Best Affinity Credit Card Europe, Middle East, Africa Lufthansa Miles & More Credit Card Miles & More takes home its third consecutive Freddie in this category. Earning one mile for every euro spent, cardholders can also earn miles for referring friends to the card and as long as you keep the card, your miles will never expire, even if you no longer have frequent flyer status. In second place, and a former winner is Brussels Airlines American Express, with a value vote of just .02 less than this year's Freddie winner. The same card placed third in last year's Freddie Awards. Coming in at number three this year is American Express Membership Rewards--last year's fourth place finisher. TAP Portugal Victoria Visa, which came in second last year did not receive at least two percent of the votes to be listed here. In the Americas, airlines only counted for 56 percent of the qualified credit cards, here, 77 percent of those that qualified are airline sponsored. But that may be changing. Last year, Marriott was the sole hotel credit card in this category. This year Hilton also qualified--a 100 percent increase for the hotel cards. In a continuing decline of importance, Diners Club Club Rewards was hanging on last year in this category (having disappeared entirely from the Americas and JPAA categories) but did not qualify this year--the first time ever that Diners Club was not represented in any category--and they used to own this Freddie category. Category votes 63,670
Best Affinity Credit Card Japan, Pacific, Asia, Australia Virgin Blue Velocity NAB Gold Card American Express/Visa First time winner in this category, Virgin Blue Velocity NAB Gold Card American Express/Visa wins. The card is unique in that cardholders receive an American Express and Visa card for one account. The American Express card offers two Velocity points for each AU$2 spent on the card while the Visa offers one Velocity point for every AU$2 spent. And there is no cap on the amount of points you can earn. In second place is last year's winner, Jet Airways Citibank Credit Card followed by former winner in this category, American Express Membership Rewards at number three for the third consecutive year. It seems almost natural that a program like Virgin Blue, which won Program of the Year, would have the momentum to get additional wins in other categories and this finish seems to prove that point. Korean Air continues to make its presence known by improving its value vote for its Visa from number seven last year to number four this year. And Kingfisher made its maiden splash with a number five finish. Observation: Last year, over 50 percent of the qualifiers had value votes below eight. This year, none of the qualifiers had value votes below eight. Looks like members are demanding better value and if not received, then not bothering to vote the credit card in. Category votes 50,856
Best Member Communications Communication is key, in relationships, and in frequent travel programs. Programs that know how to harness the power of communication have members who are loyal and active. The way in which programs communicate to members sets the tone for the travel experience and a well-written email can move the member to action. The statements sent to members, e-newsletters, targeted offer communications and printed newsletters all contribute toward communication between the programs and their members. Frequent travel program executives have also been known to visit and chat with their members in online communities and to start their own communities. Voters were asked to vote on the program that communicates most effectively with its members through such outlets as newsletters, mileage statements, membership guides, direct mail, email or welcome kits. Frequent Flyer Program Best Member Communications Americas Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards have traded places this year with the Freddie going to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. This is Mileage Plan's sixth win in this category and last year ended a four consecutive year winning streak for the program. Mileage Plan keeps in touch with members through a monthly e-statement with news and offers as well as detailed account information. The Alaska Airlines Insider e-newsletter also keeps members informed and engaged and Alaska is known for its close communication with its top elite members offering face-to-face meetings. The top three finishers in this category, Alaska, Southwest and Continental, all received a value vote over nine. Continental has been a winner in this category six times but has not finished as the winner in over 10 years. However, considering that the program finished in seventh place last year, gaining up to the number three spot this year is quite an accomplishment. Last year's third place finisher, AirTran A+ Rewards, has slipped to fourth place this year. Good news? Members are more pleased with communications this year. Last year 42 percent of qualifiers had value votes below eight. This year ... none. Also, last year no program scored higher than eight and this year we had three programs score at least a nine. Category votes 404,802
Frequent Guest Program Best Member Communications Americas Marriott Hotels Marriott Rewards Marriott Rewards rides to the top in the Best Member Communications category for the 11th time, coming in at number one for the second consecutive year. Marriott Rewards places a high priority on member communications and this shows up at the Freddie Awards with a very impressive 9.49 value vote. Marriott sends out a weekly email to keep members informed about eBreaks rates, where members can find last-minute weekend discounts of 20 percent or more at participating Marriott hotels. Coming in at number two this year was Hilton HHonors--up from a sixth place finish last year while last year's number two program, InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club Rewards, came in at number three. It should be noted that Choice Hotels Choice Privileges received a very close value vote to Priority Club Rewards' value vote. Last year, no program received a value vote over 8.829 and this year all six top finishers received value votes over nine. Also of note is the impressive 48.84 percent of votes that Marriott gathered from Marriott Rewards members, which represents 214,308 of the total 438,945 votes cast for this category. Category votes 438,945
Frequent Flyer Program Best Member Communications Europe, Middle East, Africa Etihad Airways Etihad Guest This is the first win in the Best Member Communications category for Etihad Guest and with no less than a very impressive 9.45 value vote. Clearly, the program does a good job of keeping in touch with members. Although this is Etihad Guest's first win, the program has hovered in the top three over the last few years. Etihad keeps in touch with its members through a monthly e-statement and e-newsletter which keeps members informed of Etihad Guest news and offers such as the recent 2,500 bonus points when booking online. At number two this year is Lufthansa (and Partners) Miles & More--quite a large step up from last year's Freddie Awards where it placed ninth in this category. And following Miles & More this year with just a .03 difference in the value vote is Delta SkyMiles. Delta placed eighth in this category last year. Last year's winner, Gulf Air Frequent flyer, fell to eighth this year while former winner Qatar Airways Privilege Club fell off the list for not receiving at least two percent of the votes cast in this category. Virgin Flying Club improved almost a whole point in their value vote, moving from a low eight rating last year to a very high eight this year. Category votes 104,964
Frequent Guest Program Best Member Communications Europe, Middle East, Africa Marriott Hotels Marriott Rewards This is the second consecutive win for Marriott Rewards in this category that is now entering its fifth year and Marriott Rewards is the first program to repeat a win. The program is also a clear winner in this category with it being the only one to have a value vote over nine. Last year's number two program and former winner in this category, Starwood Preferred Guest, has moved down to number three and Hilton HHonors has taken its place at number two. This is a nice rise for HHonors, which featured in sixth place last year and seventh the year before. Shangri-La Hotels Golden Circle did not qualify for the first time in recent history and neither did Choice Hotels Choice Privileges, which fell out last year but was a consistent qualifier and well-represented finisher in prior years. Accor and Golden Tulip, when qualifying, both score near or at the bottom in average value vote. Category votes 95,166
Frequent Flyer Program Best Member Communications Japan, Pacific, Asia, Australia Virgin Blue Velocity Virgin Blue Velocity takes home its fourth Freddie Award this year with this win for Best Member Communications, moving up from the program's fourth place finish last year. Members we've spoken to have been very complimentary about the communications they receive from Velocity. Fun, inventive and effective are just some of the words used to describe the way Velocity speaks to its members. Coming in at number two, up from last year's number three, is Kingfisher Airlines King Club, and last year's number two program, Jet Airways JetPrivilege, sees itself at number three this year. Last year's winner, Korean Air Skypass, fell to fifth place this year. Both U.S.-based programs with large membership numbers in this region, Northwest and United, that qualified last year fell off for consideration this year by not garnering at least two percent of the total ballot count for the category. And neither did top finishers last year, Etihad and Qatar. Category votes 81,764
Frequent Guest Program Best Member Communications Japan, Pacific, Asia, Australia Starwood Hotels Starwood Preferred Guest Last year Marriott Rewards made a clean sweep in the Best Member Communications category, but this year Starwood Preferred Guest takes top honors in the Japan, Pacific, Asia, Australia region. Starwood came in at number three last year. Starwood reaches out to members worldwide with specialized communications and international travelers appreciate the consistent communication and quality of the hotels. Marriott Rewards lost out on the Freddie this year, but not by much. The Marriott value vote is 8.75 and Starwood's winning value vote is 8.77. Following Marriott at number three is Hilton HHonors, last year's number six--once again, HHonors has made movement toward the top. Last year's number two program in this category, Hyatt Gold Passport, has fallen to number five. Two programs who did not qualify last year make their entrance: Best Western Rewards and Radisson goldpoints plus. While Accor Hotels relaunched their loyalty program late last year, there has only been a minimum increase in their value vote from members to date. Keeping with what seems to be a trend from the value votes for other categories within this region, no program was rated a nine. Category votes 61,121
Best Web Sites Web sites have become a major component of frequent travel programs and continue to become more and more important as the programs build their programs around them. Long gone are the days when the Web site was simply a companion to the phone and membership guides. Today, members expect all aspects of the program to be presented online, from enrollment, to mileage/points statements and award redemption; preferably presented in their native language with intuitive navigation. Busy travelers expect the program Web sites to be one-stop-shops for all aspects of the program with just a few clicks and the programs themselves ask their members to think of their Web sites as their first stop. Voters were asked to vote on the Web site with the best online program information. Frequent Flyer Program Best Web Site Americas Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan wins Best Web site for the sixth time and the third consecutive win. The Mileage Plan Web site wins with good, clean design, ease of use and improving functionality, such as the ability to redeem airline partner awards online and an award calendar to see if award seats are available at a glance. "Jenn" the virtual assistant is also online to answer any question Mileage Plan members might have. Placing second again this year is Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards, a two-time winner in this category. New to the top three is AirTran Airways A+ Rewards taking the place of last year's third place finisher, Midwest Airlines Midwest Miles, which fell off the top finishers list this year. Of interest is the movement of Delta and Continental--Delta moved down to number seven from last year's number four and Continental moved up to number four from last year's number six. Frontier EarlyReturns has slid off the chart from its fifth place finish last year and JetBlue TrueBlue moved from number 10 last year to number six this year. While the average value vote moved higher this year for this category, there has been minimal movement by the perennial bottom dwellers of this category-- American, United, US Airways and Aeroplan. Category votes 371,116
Frequent Guest Program Best Web Site Americas Marriott Hotels Marriott Rewards This is the second win for the Marriott Rewards Web site, knocking the IHG Priority Club Rewards Web site off the pinnacle with that program's fourth consecutive Freddie Award in this category last year. Marriott has put together a no-nonsense, effective and user-friendly Web site that is receiving high praises from Marriott Rewards members. Everything you expect from a loyalty program Web site can be found at marriott.com/rewards: news, program information, easy to search for bonus offers and a DreamRewards Tracker that will track your progress towards the awards you most want. Not only did Priority Club Rewards not win this year, it fell to fourth place. But it should be noted that the program won last year with a 8.928 value vote, and did noticeably better this year, with a 9.23 value vote--but even though the members of the program saw an improvement, the members of Marriott Rewards and second place finisher Choice Hotels Choice Privileges, saw even more improvement and voted accordingly. The Choice Privileges Web site finished third last year and Hilton HHonors placed third this year. Observation: Nine programs qualified last year in this category, only five this year, and the most puzzling question of all? Starwood Preferred Guest as the lowest-rated Web site that made the list. Category votes 406,630
Frequent Flyer Program Best Web Site Europe, Middle East, Africa Etihad Airways Etihad Guest This is the third consecutive Freddie Award win for Etihad Guest in this category. The Web site features a "slider" tool that allows members to design their own cash plus miles awards (you can redeem an award with as little as one mile), a massive online awards catalog as well as full information and functionality that frequent flyers expect from an award-winning Web site. Coming in at second place this year is the Delta SkyMiles Web site, rising up from fourth place last year. Last year's second place program, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, is not on the list this year. Lufthansa (and Partners) Miles & More rounds out the top three Best Web Sites, following closely behind Delta with its value vote. Observation: It's puzzling that South African Airways Voyager did not even qualify this year when last year they had, by a wide margin, the highest percentage of votes--32.9 percent. But there does seem to be progress among programs in this category. Last year, 46.2 percent of program Web sites had value votes at seven, the year before, 31.6 percent. This year not a single qualifying program had a value vote below eight. Aeroflot Bonus which won the category two years ago did not qualify last year or this year. Category votes 97,047
Frequent Guest Program Best Web Site Europe, Middle East, Africa Starwood Preferred Guest This is the third (second consecutive) win for Starwood Preferred Guest in this category after taking the place of two-time winner Marriott Rewards. The Starwood Web site can be accessed in English, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Chinese and Italian and has one of the most user-friendly (and enticing) ways to access hotel promotions that we've seen. Hilton HHonors comes in at number two, taking the second place honor from Marriott Rewards, which is at number three this year. Marriott is a former two-time winner in this category. We're going to make a positive observation: Starwood, Hilton, Shangri-La and Best Western all made a jump of a whole point or more in the value vote by members of their programs from last year's results. Marriott and Hilton accounted for over 50 percent of the total members' votes in this category, the highest pair total in any category. Category votes 85,750
Frequent Flyer Program Best Web Site Japan, Pacific, Asia, Australia Virgin Blue Velocity Freddie, meet Velocity. Virgin Blue Velocity once again takes home a Freddie, this time for Best Web Site as it moves up from last year's fourth place position. Satisfied Velocity members report that the Web site is "well planned," "easy to use" and "simple to understand." Last year's winner, Jet Airways JetPrivilege, is at number two this year while Kingfisher Airlines King Club moves from number six last year to number three this year. Two-time winner Qatar Airways Privilege Club did not get enough votes this year to qualify. Korean Air continues to rate high with their members with a number five finish this year, up from last year's number seven finish. Three years ago Korean Air did not even rank in this category. Observation: Three years ago three U.S.-based programs qualified in this category, four qualified two years ago and two qualified last year. This year ... none. Of the Japan-based programs, ANA bested JAL each of the past three years. But this year, JAL has the value vote edge. Category votes 73,140
Frequent Guest Program Best Web Site Japan, Pacific, Asia, Australia Marriott Hotels Marriott Rewards Marriott Rewards wins for a third consecutive year for its ability to reach out to members in Asia/Pacific. Dedicated Web sites are available for members residing in Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea. Once again moving up the ladder, and coming in at second place, up from last year's sixth place finish, is Hilton HHonors. And at third place is last year's second place program, Starwood Preferred Guest. Hyatt Gold Passport slipped to number five from their number three finish in each of the two previous years. Gold Passport won this category three years ago. IHG Priority Club Rewards seems to have found a comfortable place in value vote from their members, they have finished number four in each of the last three years--increasing their value vote each year just slightly. Best Western Rewards returns to qualified status after not qualifying last year, although they qualified the two previous years. And Shangri-La continues to hover around the middle of the field, dropping a single place from last year but besting their perennial seventh place finish in the prior two years. Category votes 53,066
Best Elite-Level Program It's been said that the best way to judge a country is to look at how it treats the least of its citizens. It can be argued that the best way to judge a frequent travel program is to look at the way it treats its topmost customers. Elite members are the most valued customers from a revenue point of view, and retaining them can be a program's highest priority. With so many ways in which members can earn miles and points, elite programs are constantly evolving to do their best to keep the elite members happy--and these exalted members can be rather particular about the benefits they desire most. Voters were asked to vote on the elite-level program that offers the best combination of benefits and bonuses for elite members. Frequent Flyer Program Best Elite-Level Program Americas Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan wins for the fourth year in a row. Elite-level members appreciate the upgrades, waived fees, priority treatment at the airport and the variety of partners they can fly to earn elite status. The winner of this category is often reflected in the Program of the Year category. Alaska has won four Freddie Awards this year, more than any other airline in the Americas. Northwest WorldPerks shot up to second place last year from an eighth-place finish the year before but finished in third place behind Continental Airlines OnePass this year. Continental OnePass can boast of 12 former wins in this category and this second place position brings the program close to its former glory. With a value vote of 9.12 this year, OnePass outperformed Alaska's value vote of 8.997 last year when they won this category. Once again Frontier Airlines EarlyReturns has fallen off the list, this time after placing third last year. Perhaps the biggest disappointment in this category is the fall of Rapid Rewards. Southwest had solid finishes at number three, two and three years ago, a slight dip to four last year, but the fall to eight this year is puzzling, given the push behind its A-List program. We don't know if there might be some confusion with their Companion Award (often viewed by members as an elite style benefit) but this is a very strange finish for an otherwise world-class showing for a number of years. Category votes 261,419
Frequent Guest Program Best Elite-Level Program Americas Marriott Hotels Marriott Rewards Marriott Rewards once again finds itself taking home the Best Elite-Level Program Freddie Award. This is the ninth win for the program after losing out to IHG Priority Club Rewards last year. Marriott Rewards elite-level members get bonus base points according to their elite status, elite only awards, dedicated reservations line and room upgrades, free breakfast and arrival gifts depending on their status. Coming in at number two is Starwood Hotels Starwood Preferred Guest, a six-time winner in this category, and up from a third place finish last year. Rounding out the top three (and a very close finish to SPG) is Hilton Hotels Hilton HHonors, a four-time winner in this category that moved up from number five last year. It's been more than 10 years since Hilton's last win--so we'll see if they continue to rise. You've got to feel for Priority Club though. They increased their value vote from last year and yet they dropped to number four this year. It does appear it is getting more difficult to qualify in this category. Two years ago nine programs qualified; last year seven and this year, only five. Category votes 337,908
Frequent Flyer Program Best Elite-Level Program Europe, Middle East, Africa Delta Air Lines SkyMiles This is the first win for Delta SkyMiles for any international Freddie Award. Delta's elite-level program placed sixth this year in the Americas region but has come out on top for the EMEA region (they did finish number four in this category two years ago so they aren't exactly strangers). Delta's elite members enjoy upgrades, discounted airport lounge membership and many more perks. And for the top earners, there is a well-defined Million Miler program that offers lifetime Silver, Gold and Platinum Medallion status when you earn over one million miles. Delta's continued network growth in Europe this past year seems to be paying dividends and as we know, many European programs were trimming elements of their programs (and adding hefty fuel surcharges) allowing Delta's program to appear more generous. Coming in at number two is this year's Program of the Year EMEA winner and former winner of this category, Virgin Atlantic Airways Flying Club, which came in at number eight last year. Two-time and last year's winner, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, came in at number four this year while Etihad Guest is very close at number three, down from second place last year. We're impressed with the presence of Turkish Airlines in the rating as well as Brussels Airlines and TAP. Category votes 76,366
Frequent Guest Program Best Elite-Level Program Europe, Middle East, Africa Marriott Hotels Marriott Rewards This is a repeat win for Best Elite-Level Program EMEA for Marriott Rewards, although they have not placed at the top the last two years. Not only can Marriott Rewards elite members look forward to earning extra points with status, but they can also take advantage of weekend discounts at Courtyard and SpringHill Suites locations, priority late checkout at all hotel brands and a reservations guarantee. Number two this year is Hilton HHonors, a step up from fifth place last year and sixth the year before. Last year's winner, Starwood Preferred Guest, is number three this year. Starwood has won three out of the five years that this category has been offered. One program that has benefited from its merger of various worldwide programs is Radisson goldpoints plus. With a number five finish this year, they have finished no lower than that for the past four years, actually rising to three two years ago. The member comment on the right really illustrates that point. Want to measure a program's improvement? Best Western Rewards went from a value vote of 6.72 two years ago to over a full point improvement of 7.88 this year. And we're still wondering what happened to former qualifying programs, Golden Tulip and Choice Hotels. Category votes 70,198
Frequent Flyer Program Best Elite-Level Program Japan, Pacific, Asia, Australia Jet Airways JetPrivilege Jet Airways JetPrivilege wins the Best Elite-Level Program Freddie in this region for the second year in a row. JetPrivilege elite members get upgrades, additional baggage allowance and free airport lounge visits among other perks. Just a breath away from Jet Airways JetPrivilege is Virgin Blue Velocity with a value vote difference of only .01. At number three is Kingfisher Airlines King Club. Former winner Northwest WorldPerks came in fourth while former winners in this category, Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus, did not garner enough votes to place and be listed here. Want to measure one program's progress in this category? Qantas, which finished fifth this year, finished at number 18 two years ago. The Korean Air Skypass program continues its excellent run at number six, one better than seventh place last year. And it comes as no surprise that the two U.S.-based frequent flyer programs with the largest membership bases in this region continue to do well, Northwest at number four and United at number nine. Because this category is often regarded as the most vital--a measure from a program's best customers--it is surprising to us that no program has scored at least a nine in the past several years, though value vote nines do exist in other categories. Category votes 59,494
Frequent Guest Program Best Elite-Level Program Japan, Pacific, Asia, Australia Starwood Hotels Starwood Preferred Guest Starwood Preferred Guest gets the Freddie Award for Best Elite-Level Program for the third consecutive year and the fourth time in this five-year-old category. Elite bonus points, late check out and a lower minimum threshold when converting points to frequent flyer miles are three of the perks that come with a Preferred Guest elite membership. Last year's number six program, Hilton HHonors, has moved up to the second spot. Following HHonors is last year's number two finisher, Marriott Rewards. Former winner in this category, Hyatt Gold Passport, is at number four this year. While Shangri-La Golden Circle has qualified yearly in this category, we welcome back the Best Western Rewards and Radisson goldpoints plus programs which did not qualify last year. What we like best about this category is the improvements the programs have made for their members reflected in the value vote. Consider this: the winner three years ago scored only a 7.87, the lowest winning value vote of any category. While we would like to see the programs win with a nine or better, at least this category is no longer stuck in the sevens. Observation: We think the merger of the Le Meridien program into SPG has helped the overall value vote for Starwood in this category--it was at 8.55 the last two years, and now look at it. Category votes 43,023
Best Award Redemption If award redemption is easy, you have a very happy program member. If it's difficult, call out the National Guard, you might need some help. If there's one thing that irks frequent travelers the most, it's the unavailability of awards--and the hassles of redeeming them. We've learned that it's not just about making seats and rooms available, it's also about the process. Does the program make it easy to change your itinerary if your travel plans change? Does it require members to jump through hoops to get an award? What fees are involved for close-in award redemptions or when you have to call the service center to claim the award? We never said that award redemption would be easy, but some programs make it easier than others. Voters were asked to vote on the program that makes award redemption the most user-friendly--can you get the award you want when you want it? Frequent Flyer Program Best Award Redemption Americas Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards This award category was introduced in 1998 and no other frequent flyer program has ever won--Rapid Rewards tops this all-important category for an 11th consecutive year. Over and over, we've heard from members that they like the simplicity and ease of getting a free ticket. When a member earns 16 credits (eight roundtrips), a free flight is waiting for them in their account. Alaska Airlines comes in at number two for the third year in a row. Mileage Plan regularly makes an appearance at number two or three but can't quite get the momentum up to conquer Southwest, although it's getting closer. Alaska's Mileage Plan trails Rapid Rewards by only .02 value vote this year. And once again Continental OnePass rounds out the top three. All top three airlines improved their value vote this year with Continental basically matching the winning value vote for Southwest last year (Southwest got a value vote of 9.035 last year, and Continental's value vote this year is 9.04). Of note is AirTran Airways A+ Rewards making a move from number eight last year to number four this year. A+ Rewards is a program to watch. This was a banner year for award redemption and there were improvements in the value vote across the board. Confusing to us is that both American and United have the statistically best award redemption which just does not seem to get valued enough by their members. Category votes 294,951
Frequent Guest Program Best Award Redemption Americas Hilton Hotels Hilton HHonors This is a first time win for Hilton HHonors in the Best Award Redemption category. This win very well could reflect the program's decision in early 2008 to drop all blackout dates and capacity controls for award redemption. Last year's winner, IHG Priority Club Rewards, finishes in second place this year while one-time winner in this category, Marriott Rewards, is number three again this year. Starwood Preferred Guest, no stranger to winning this category with eight consecutive wins, places fifth this year. However, even though fifth place seems like a long way from number one, Starwood still earned an impressive 9.28 value vote. All programs that qualified this year scored significantly higher than the 9.09 value vote which won the category last year. Two programs missing that qualified last year are Hyatt Gold Passport and Best Western Rewards. Choice Privileges for the third year in a row finishes in the number four position. A program that was progressing well in the rankings for a few years but has not qualified for the past two years is TripRewards--now Wyndham Rewards. The change to a qualifying vote count of two percent of the total votes is likely the reason the program failed to qualify. Category votes 349,095
Frequent Flyer Program Best Award Redemption Europe, Middle East, Africa Etihad Airways Etihad Guest Etihad Guest wins for the second consecutive year. Members of Etihad Guest can start spending their miles with as little as one mile--the program offers the ultimate in cash and miles flexibility for award redemption. It's obvious that the members appreciate this option and the ease in claiming awards. Delta SkyMiles once again does well in the EMEA region, coming in at number two--up from eighth place last year and replacing former winner of this category, Gulf Air Frequent flyer, in second place last year. Gulf Air moves down to sixth position this year. And rounding out the top three is Virgin Atlantic Airways Flying Club--a vast improvement over last year's 11th place finish. Also moving up the charts was Lufthansa (and Partners) Miles & More, from number 10 last year to this year's number four. Turkish Airlines moved up a notch from six to five and last year's number three, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, did not receive enough votes to qualify this year. And in case you noticed, British Airways Executive Club, which ranked last in the past two years moved up in the ranking to a number 10 finish this year. Observation: Three years ago there were four U.S.-based programs that qualified; this year, only one. A program that has developed a positive reputation for award redemption and finished at number two three years ago, Aeroflot Bonus, has not qualified since then. Category votes 81,222
Frequent Guest Program Best Award Redemption Europe, Middle East, Africa Hilton Hotels Hilton HHonors This is Hilton HHonors first Freddie Award win in this category--matching its first-ever win in the Americas region in this category--and another possible testament to Hilton's no blackout date or capacity controls policy for award stays. This is the first year in the five years since this category was introduced that Starwood Preferred Guest did not win. This year, the SPG program placed second followed by last year's number two, Marriott Rewards. This category has had a huge turnaround since two years ago when 77 percent of the programs earned a value vote average of less than eight. In fact, 23 percent of the programs were rated less than seven. This year, 75 percent of the programs earned value votes of eight, which is nearly a 180 degree change. The win by Hilton is fairly significant. In the past, members of the Le Meridien Moments program consistently rated that program as average for its award redemption. One might logically think that when those members were merged into Starwood, a consistent Freddie-winning program in this category, they would boost the value vote even higher by experiencing better award redemption. But it has only slightly nudged the value vote higher. Radisson goldpoints plus has consistently remained just under the top three finishers. Category votes 69,966
Frequent Flyer Program Best Award Redemption Japan, Pacific, Asia, Australia Virgin Blue Velocity Virgin Blue Velocity wins its fourth consecutive Freddie in the Best Award Redemption category with a notable 9.53 value vote. Velocity members who plan in advance can get award flights at reduced point amounts, but they also have the option of using points for any available flight--including during heavy travel times like during holidays when the amount of points is based on the cost of the fare. Members can also spend their miles at the online Velocity Rewards Shop. With this win, Virgin Blue Velocity becomes the top Freddie winner for airlines this year with a total of six. At number two is Kingfisher Airlines King Club while last year's number two, Jet Airways JetPrivilege, is at number three. As with other regions, program members are rating award redemption higher. For the first time ever, all of the qualifying programs scored at least an eight value vote average from their members. And the Japan-based programs continue their leapfrogging. This year, JAL bests ANA (last year ANA bested JAL, the year before JAL bested ANA and the year before that ANA bested JAL). Both U.S.-based programs with a large presence in this region, Northwest and United, continue to rate well. In fact, Northwest hurtled from eleven last year to number five this year. And again Korean Air continues their consistent placement by finishing at six. Category votes 61,205
Frequent Guest Program Best Award Redemption Japan, Pacific, Asia, Australia Starwood Preferred Guest Starwood Preferred Guest wins for the fifth consecutive time for Best Award Redemption in this region. Starwood has dominated this category with the program's no blackout dates or availability restrictions on free award nights. Coming in at number two for a third consecutive time is Marriott Rewards and moving up from number six to three is Hilton HHonors. Hyatt Gold Passport drops back one from last year to fourth place. As we've seen in other award redemption categories, the average value vote climbed this year. Last year 50 percent of the qualified programs had value vote averages at seven. This year, 89 percent are rated at eight and above. While we've seen IHG Priority Club rise in ranking in other regions for this category (they won last year in the Americas), they have continued to drift lower here. Three years ago this program finished second. Then two years ago they moved to number four. Last year, they maintained that same fourth place finish and this year finished at number five. On paper that doesn't sound good. But actually we see plenty to be positive about here. While the ranking has drifted lower, their actual value vote average--how their members rate the program's award redemption---has risen every single year. This is just another way to look at the results. Category votes 42,215
Best Customer Service All the bonus offers and free flights or nights won't keep program members happy in the long run if customer service isn't there to assist you when you need them. From service centers with knowledgeable and friendly representatives to quickly answered emails, customer service is an important component to every frequent travel program, and some would argue, the most important. We asked our voters to vote on the program with the best customer service. Frequent Flyer Program Best Customer Service Americas Midwest Airlines Midwest Miles This is the fourth consecutive win for Midwest Miles in the Best Customer Service category after taking the reins from Southwest Rapid Rewards and its four-year first place winning streak. Midwest Miles has placed first in this category a total of five times. Members say that the customer service they receive is good from the moment they make the reservations until their luggage is safely in their hands after the return flight. In at number two is Program of the Year winner, Alaska Mileage Plan, and Southwest Rapid Rewards once again comes in at number three for the top three to mirror last year's top three. AirTran Airways A+ Rewards once again for this year has moved up in status--in this case, from number seven last year to number four this year and Frontier Airlines EarlyReturns fell off the charts from being number four last year and number two the year before. As in past years, JetBlue seems to serve as the dividing line to the legacy programs which all follow in line below it. There is a bright spot in the direction the value vote averages are going for this category. The value votes have gone from having only 13 percent of the qualifying programs earn at least a nine average three years ago to 14 percent two years ago to 15 percent last year to ... 50 percent this year. In any category, that is a major improvement but when it comes in customer service, just maybe we have at least one thing to truly appreciate. Category votes 310,437
Frequent Guest Program Best Customer Service Americas Marriott Hotels Marriott Rewards Marriott Rewards takes home the Freddie for the 12th time and the fourth consecutive year in this category. Clearly, Marriott is able to offer their members a responsive customer service experience and its members have responded with their vote and an impressive 9.5 value vote (up from last year's 9.171). It's no small feat to earn a 9.5 value vote when it comes to keeping your members happy. With this win, Marriott has won an impressive nine Freddie Awards this year--the most of any hotel program. Choice Hotels Choice Privileges made an impressive move from number four last year to the number two position this year, taking the place of last year's number two program, InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club Rewards, which fell to fifth place this year. SPG, a former six-time winner in this category, landed in fourth place this year, down from last year's third place position. Hilton HHonors rounds out the top three with a mere .01 between HHonors and SPG. Hilton has also won this category in the past. All five top finishers are commended for their value votes over nine. Category votes 355,969
Frequent Flyer Program Best Customer Service Europe, Middle East, Africa Virgin Atlantic Airways Flying Club First time winner in this category, Virgin Atlantic Airways Flying Club, wins its third Freddie this year in the EMEA region. Flying Club members report a responsive and efficient customer service experience and the love Virgin Atlantic customers feel for the entire Virgin experience--from the airport lounges to the in-flight entertainment--spells out total satisfaction for Flying Club members. In second place with a very close value vote (VERY close: 8.98 vs. Flying Club's 8.99) is last year's winner Etihad Guest. Just barely missing second place, Delta SkyMiles moves up from sixth place last year to place in third. Qatar Airways Privilege Club, last year's number two finisher moves down to number four. And if this is your first glance at this category and Delta SkyMiles seems out of place--it has been the only U.S.-based program to qualify in the last three years and has always been in the middle or better in the value vote average rankings. And while we don't like to draw attention to this, both British Airways Executive Club and Air France/KLM Flying Blue continue to rank at the bottom--although both have improved the value vote average from their members. Three programs had lower value vote averages this year than last: Etihad from 9.336 to 8.894, Qatar from 8.934 to 8.85 and Gulf Air from 8.789 to 8.70. Category votes 84,365
Frequent Guest Program Best Customer Service Europe, Middle East, Africa Hilton Hotels Hilton HHonors This is another first Freddie win in a category for Hilton HHonors. The last two years saw Starwood Preferred Guest win and they have won three out of the last four. But HHonors clearly won this year and members report that they can expect good service from Hilton; from the Web site, to the front desk to the quality of the rooms. This win shows a marked improvement for Hilton, considering that the program placed sixth in this category last year. Starwood Preferred Guest is second this year, followed by Marriott Rewards at number three. Last year's number three program, Shangri-La Hotels Golden Circle, fell to number five this year, behind IHG Priority Club Rewards at number four (the same position they were in last year). Here's a shout out to the Best Western Rewards program. Two years ago the value vote for the progam in this category was 6.840 and this year, 8.01. Over the two-year period, no program other than Hilton HHonors has improved its value vote average as much--congrats Best Western. Category votes 72,107
Frequent Flyer Program Best Customer Service Japan, Pacific, Asia, Australia Kingfisher Airlines King Club Another Freddie is heading back to India on Kingfisher Airlines. This is the first win in this category for Kingfisher Airlines King Club and the second Freddie for the program this year. King Club members report being delighted with the service they have received both on and off the plane. Program of the Year winner, Virgin Blue Velocity, is in the number two position while two-time winner in this category, Jet Airways JetPrivilege, comes in at third this year. Here's an interesting side note. Two years ago 20 programs qualified in this category--only 11 this year. And while the two U.S.-based programs with a large presence in this area, Northwest and United, have consistently ranked in other categories for this region, neither qualified in this category. Only a single program that qualified this year had a value vote average less than their finish last year--Korean Air Skypass. A program that has a long history of superb customer service and has won in this category before, Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus, did not qualify this year for the first time ever. Category votes 62,783
Frequent Guest Program Best Customer Service Japan, Pacific, Asia, Australia Hilton Hotels Hilton HHonors Hilton HHonors replaces the reigning Queen of customer service, Starwood Preferred Guest, with its first win in this five-year-old category. SPG won this category for the last four consecutive years, but this year, HHonors takes home the Freddie with a value vote of 8.90. HHonors members report that the customer service they receive as HHonors members makes them feel valued and they feel as though their concerns are heard and addressed in a timely manner. Starwood Preferred Guest comes in second and Marriott Rewards, last year's number two, is at number three this year. In Hilton's rocket-to-the-top this year, they improved a whole point, from 7.891 last year to 8.90 this year. This improvement in value vote was apparent in all programs in this category for the first time in recent history and no program recorded an average score below eight. Three years ago there was only a single program with a value vote average that exceeded eight, Starwood. Category votes 43,243
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