Marriott, Accor, Southwest and Virgin Australia Voted In as Top Loyalty Programs
Skift Take
Marriott Rewards and Southwest Rapid Rewards are still dominating the Freddie awards in North America, as they did last year. In Europe, though, it was Aeroflot and Accor, while Virgin Australia took top honors in Asia/Oceania.
Frequent travelers voted for their favorite loyalty programs in the annual Freddie Awards last week.
Marriott Rewards and Southwest Rapid Rewards took home major hauls in the North American segment; Accor and Aeroflot dominated Europe; and Virgin Australia was the favorite air carrier in Asia/Oceania.
Marriott nearly swept its category for best hotel loyalty program in North America while Southwest did the same in airlines (with the exception of the award for best Elite Program — that went to American Airlines and AAdvantage).
Freddie Awards are unique because they take votes directly from frequent travelers to pick the best program. Winners are based on "value" through a system that basically measures a traveler's level of happiness and engagement with a program; this also prevents behemoths with great brand power from simply buying votes by volume
