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Note: This is archived information from past events. To view this year's news and contact info, click here. 17th Annual Freddie Awards Press Release BEST FREQUENT FLYER AND FREQUENT GUEST PROGRAMS CHOSEN IN THE 17TH ANNUAL FREDDIE AWARDS - ALASKA AIRLINES AND STARWOOD HOTELS ARE BIG WINNERS ... YET AGAIN COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO (April 29, 2005) - Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan was named frequent flyer Program of the Year, and Starwood Preferred Guest took top honors among hotel programs at the 17th Annual Freddie Awards on Thursday. Internationally, Swiss Airlines' TravelClub program took top honors in the Europe/Middle East/Africa region, and Emirates Skywards earned first place in the Asia/Pacific region. Over 315,000 frequent travelers worldwide cast ballots to determine the winners. 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 Member Communications, Best Award Redemption and Best Customer Service. The Best Affinity Credit Card was also chosen. This year for the first time, voters were permitted to vote for programs in one of three global regions: Americas, Europe/Middle East/Africa, and Asia/Pacific. Starwood Preferred Guest was named hotel Program of the Year in all three global regions. SPG has won the award for seven straight years. Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan has now won Program of the Year in the Americas region for three consecutive years. The Seattle-based program also won first place in the Best Member Communications and Best Web Site categories this year. Diners Club Club Rewards was named top Americas credit card for the eighth consecutive year, and the America West FlightFund program made it three in a row in the Best Elite-Level Program-Americas category. The awards were announced yesterday by InsideFlyer Editor and Publisher Randy Petersen during a ceremony at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York City. Over 200 airline, hotel and credit card representatives attended the ceremony, along with several members of the voting public. Mr. Petersen also presented a "Distinguished Achievement Award" to Michelle Cohen and Stuart Paskow of Mitch-Stuart, Inc., to honor their work in raising both miles and money for charitable organizations. Northwest Airlines WorldPerks won an "Industry Impact" award for its focus on imaginative promotions and partner-based activities. India's Jet Airways Jet Privilege program also won an Industry Impact award for pioneering a means by which members may qualify for elite status based on a dynamic, rolling calendar. Other big winners included InterContinental Hotels Group's Priority Club Rewards, which netted six awards on the evening, and TAP Air Portugal Navigator, which won four awards. The Freddie Awards honor quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on 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 for which he or she votes. To be eligible to win a Freddie Award, however, a program must receive at least one percent of the popular vote. The 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. This year, InsideFlyer magazine partnered with Nextel, Points.com, Awards For Mortgage And Real Estate, Executive Travel SkyGuide, and SmarterTravel.com. to present the event for the 17th consecutive year.. THIS YEAR'S WINNERS ARE: Program of the Year |
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17th Annual Freddie Awards Press Release INSIDEFLYER, NEXTEL, POINTS.COM, AWARDS FOR MORTGAGES AND REAL ESTATE, EXECUTIVE TRAVEL SKYGUIDE AND SMARTERTRAVEL.COM ASK FREQUENT TRAVELERS TO SPEAK THEIR MINDS Freddie Awards Allow Travelers to Cast Votes For Best Frequent Travel Programs COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 14, 2005) -- Frequent travelers from around the world are invited to cast a vote in the 17th Annual Freddie Awards, which are designed to award excellence among frequent travel programs in the airline, hotel and credit card industries. Since 1989, InsideFlyer magazine has served as the primary sponsor of the Freddie Awards, and has partnered this year with Nextel, Points.com, Award for Mortgages and Real Estate, Executive Travel SkyGuide and SmarterTravel.com to present the event for the 17th consecutive year. "The Freddies are the most recognized awards for frequent travel programs because they give frequent travelers a chance to pick the best programs," said InsideFlyer Editor and Publisher Randy Petersen. "The Freddies continue to grow in popularity. Last year, over 277,000 frequent flyers cast ballots. This year, we expect over 300,000 frequent travelers will vote." 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. The Freddie Awards are determined by value voting, a system in which voters rate the value of their program choices on a scale of one to 10. Programs with the highest average score and at least one percent of the popular vote in each category are awarded Freddies. In essence, Freddies are awarded for quality, not quantity. The 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. Freddie Award balloting is conducted entirely online at www.freddieawards.com. Voting concludes on March 15, 2004 at 11:59 p.m. MT. Winners will be announced in the May issue of InsideFlyer magazine and online at www.freddieawards.com. |