Note: This is archived information from past events. To view this year's news and contact info, click here.

12th Annual Freddie Awards Press Release

BEST FREQUENT FLYER AND FREQUENT GUEST PROGRAMS CHOSEN IN THE 12TH ANNUAL FREDDIE AWARDS

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO - Continental OnePass and Starwood Preferred Guest take the top awards in the 12th annual Freddie awards sponsored by InsideFlyer magazine, MCI WorldCom, SkyGuide from American Express, Biztravel.com, MaxMiles and ClickRewards, InsideFlyer Editor and Publisher Randy Petersen announced today.

The awards were announced today during a ceremony at the Hotel Inter-Continental New York. The event was also webcast live via the Internet using some of the latest digital technology. A recap of the event may be viewed online at www.freddieawards.com.

A total of 103,488 ballots were cast this year by frequent travelers from around the Americas. The awards represent excellence in frequent travel programs and rate the best frequent flyer and frequent guest programs in eight different categories: Program of the Year, Best Award Best Bonus Promotion, Best Web Site, Best Elite-Level Program, Best Newsletter, Best Award Redemption and Best Customer Service. The Best Affinity Credit Card was also chosen.

Seventy-seven percent of the Freddie ballots were cast via the Internet this year, compared to 10 percent cast online in 1995. Surprisingly, though, that number dropped from last year's 82 percent of votes cast online. This year, 23 percent were received via fax and mail, proving traditional methods of communication are still important to frequent flyers. To ensure accuracy, votes were subject to three audits using a variety of technology.

Freddie Awards focus on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined not by how many votes a program receives but by the overall merits of each program as reflected in "Value Voting." Value Voting asks the voter to assign a number between one and 10 to the program he or she votes for. The popular vote is still important, however; to be eligible to win a Freddie Award, a program must receive at least 10 percent of the votes as the highest popular vote getter.

This year's winners are:

Program of the Year
Airline: Continental OnePass
Hotel: Starwood Preferred Guest

Best Award
Airline: Continental OnePass (25,000-mile award from New York or Houston to Tokyo)
Hotel: Hilton HHonors (VIPs only, six nights for 100,000 points)

Best Bonus Promotion
Airline: Southwest Rapid Rewards (double credit for booking online)
Hotel: Hyatt Gold Passport (Nights After Nights)

Best Affinity Credit Card
Diners Club Club Rewards

Best Newsletter
Airline: AeroMexico Club Premier
Hotel: Marriott Rewards

Best Web Site
Airline: Continental OnePass
Hotel: Starwood Preferred Guest

Best Elite-Level Program
Airline: Continental OnePass
Hotel: Starwood Preferred Guest

Best Award Redemption
Airline: Southwest Rapid Rewards
Hotel: Starwood Preferred Guest

Best Customer Service
Airline: Southwest Rapid Rewards
Hotel: Starwood Preferred Guest

The Randy's

Along with the Freddie Awards, InsideFlyer publisher Randy Petersen makes his annual picks for those programs that best served frequent travelers in 1999.

Randy's choices are:

Industry Impact Awards
Northwest WorldPerks - When American AAdvantage announced in August that it would put a stop to expiring miles, several other major programs followed and many assumed American began the trend. In truth, Northwest WorldPerks started the domino effect when it announced early in 1999 that WorldPerks miles would no longer expire as of March 1. That change was made to accommodate WorldPerks' partnership with Continental OnePass, but it forced other programs to look at their expiration policies.

FlyerTalk - While just over a year old, no other Web site or community of frequent travelers has had more impact on the industry or individual members of programs than FlyerTalk. The amazing thing about FlyerTalk is that it has evolved on its own with no direct moderator. With over 100,000 posts related to every aspect of frequent traveler programs, it seems the Internet has given the right of comment directly to the frequent traveler and FlyerTalk best represents this.

Rising Star Award
Alaska Mileage Plan - Alaska Airlines has formed a number of unique partnerships with several major airlines that has increased this program's value for its membership. These partnerships allow members to earn miles on partner flights that count toward elite status, a practice followed by no other individual airline. This allows members of this small regional airline program to earn miles toward elite status when they fly just about anywhere in the world. Also, Alaska has aligned itself with several major airline alliances rather than a specific one.

INSIDEFLYER / MCI WORLDCOM / SKYGUIDE FROM AMERICAN EXPRESS / MAXMILES / CLICKREWARDS / BIZTRAVEL.COM - ASK FREQUENT TRAVELERS TO SPEAK THEIR MINDS

Freddie Awards Allow Travelers to Cast Votes For Best Frequent Travel Programs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Oct. 11) -- For the 12th consecutive year, travelers have the opportunity to express their opinions about the best frequent travel programs in the airline, hotel and credit card industries. This year, InsideFlyer magazine has partnered with MCI WorldCom, SkyGuide from American Express, MaxMiles, ClickRewards, and Biztravel.com to bring travelers the 12th Annual Freddie Awards.

"The Freddies are the most recognized awards for frequent travel programs because they give frequent travelers a chance to pick the best programs out there," said InsideFlyer Editor and Publisher Randy Petersen. "The Freddies continue to grow in popularity. Last year, over 82,000 frequent flyers cast ballots. This year, we expect that over 100,000 frequent travelers will vote."

Travelers all over the world now can cast a vote in the Freddie Awards, which are designed to award excellence among frequent travel programs. Voters rate hotel, airline and credit card programs in nine categories: Program of the Year, Best Award, Best Bonus Promotion, Best Affinity Credit Card, Best Newsletter, Best Award Redemption, Best Elite-Level Program, Best Customer Service and Best Web Site.

"MCI's sponsorship of the Freddie Awards makes perfect sense, since it was more than 10 years ago that MCI made marketing history by creating the first-ever long-distance/frequent flyer program," said Mike Sauer, MCI's director of travel partners. "Consumers have come to expect frequent flyer miles from MCI, and today MCI partners with nine airlines -- more than any other communications company, capturing more than 90 percent of the frequent flyer market."

The Freddie Awards are determined by value voting, a system in which voters rate their program choices from one to 10. Programs with the highest average score and at least 10 percent of the popular votes in each category are awarded Freddies. In essence, Freddies are awarded for quality, not quantity.

"With SkyGuide's commitment to providing timely and accurate travel information, we're proud to again co-sponsor the Freddie Awards," said Janet Libert, editor and publisher of SkyGuide from American Express. "By recognizing the leaders in the industry, the Freddie Awards highlight some of the best resources available for frequent travelers."

The Freddie Awards are named after Sir Freddie Laker who attracted fame (and a knighthood in the United Kingdom) for his pioneering marketing ideas within the travel industry in the 1970s.

"Only those companies that listen to the needs and preferences of today's business travelers are those who are going to succeed in today's competitive environment," said Justin Shaw, vice president and general manager, Biztravel.com. "Biztravel.com designs its new features and upgrades around the daily emailed suggestions offered by its business traveler members. Similarly, the Freddie Awards give business travelers a strong voice in selecting industry standouts."

Travelers who wish to speak their minds have three ways to access the ballot and cast their votes. Those with access to the Internet may access the ballot at www.freddieawards.com. The ballot for programs operating in the Americas is available in the October issue of InsideFlyer magazine. The ballot for international programs can be found in the November/December edition of InsideFlyer International. Both magazines are available by calling 800/767-8896. Travelers can also call that number to request a ballot be faxed to them.

"Corresponding with the growth of the travel industry, the landscape of frequent flyer programs has undergone a dramatic change," said Elliott Ng, general manager of ClickRewards. "With the playing field turning more complex by the day, the Freddie Awards have established themselves as the premier source of valuable information for the frequent traveler by recognizing and rewarding the leading programs in the industry."

"MaxMiles has been the Switzerland of personalized frequent flyer information for years," said Mark Jamison, President and founder of MaxMiles, Inc. "We're proud to sponsor the Freddie Awards because it is also a truly independent measure of what's really going on in the frequent flyer industry."

All ballots must be received by Jan. 1, 2000, 5 p.m. mountain time via fax at 719/597-6855 or by mail at MCI/InsideFlyer 12th Annual Freddie Awards, 1930 Frequent Flyer Point, Colorado Springs, CO 80915. Winners will be announced in the February issue of InsideFlyer magazine and online at www.freddieawards.com.

SPONSOR INFORMATION:

InsideFlyer, a monthly magazine dedicated to the coverage of frequent travel programs around the world, helps its more than 80,000 readers optimize their mileage and point earning potential through in-depth news on the programs, their partners and special bonuses and promotions. A one-year subscription is available for $36 by calling 800/767-8896. For more information go to WebFlyer.com.

MCI WorldCom is a global leader in communication services with 1998 revenues of more than $30 billion and established operations in over 65 countries encompassing the America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions. MCI WorldCom is a premier provider of facilities-based and fully integrated local, long distance, international and Internet services. MCI WorldCom's global networks, including its state-of-the-art pan-European network and transoceanic cable systems, provide end-to-end high-capacity conductivity to more than 40,000 buildings worldwide. MCI WorldCom is traded on NASDAQ under WCOM. For more information on MCI WorldCom, visit the World Wide Web at www.wcom.com.

SkyGuide, published by American Express, is a monthly pocket sized airline schedule guide used by frequent business travelers. To learn more about SkyGuide call 800/678-6738 or visit their Web site at www.sky-guide.com.

Chicago-based MaxMiles, Inc. is the leading provider of technologies dedicated to helping travelers maximize their frequent travel programs. The company's proprietary MileageMiner' technology automatically gathers and consolidates all of a traveler's frequency and rewards balances daily from airlines, hotels, and credit cards into one consolidated statement. MaxMiles customers include American Express, AOL, Excite@Home, GetThere.com (formerly ITN), Hyatt hotels, Microsoft, OAG, SABRE, SkyMall and numerous corporate and retail travel departments. Complete company information can be found at www.maxmiles.com.

ClickRewards is the rewarding online shopping network from Netcentives Inc., a leading provider of Internet loyalty, direct-marketing and promotion products to drive electronic commerce. A free membership program, ClickRewards now has over two million active members and more than sixty participating merchants. Leading e-retailers, including barnesandnoble.com, E*TRADE, macys.com, CDNOW, msn shopping and OfficeMax.com have awarded over 300 million ClickMiles to Internet shoppers. ClickMiles are redeemable one-for-one for frequent flyer miles on nine major airlines, or for hotel stays, rental car discounts, and brand-name merchandise.

Biztravel.com is the Internet Company for frequent business travelers. Our mission is to help frequent business traveler's plan and book business trips faster, easier, with increased confidence, and greater satisfaction.