2015 Freddie Awards Results

Last night’s balmy air was full of excitement as movers and shakers of the travel industry gathered together with frequent travelers at the 27th annual Freddie Awards. The ceremony was held in the Delta Flight Museum in Atlanta, and Hangar 2 was decked out so that attendees could dine elegantly alongside with what was Delta’s first Boeing 767-232 back in 1982 (known affectionately as The Spirit of Delta).

The Freddie Awards was created by Randy Petersen, my favorite travel visionary. Since that first year in 1988, the Freddie Awards has grown to become known as the Oscars of the travel industry. Wikipedia even says a Freddie Award is the “oldest and most prominent recognition award for frequent traveler reward programs”.

Each year, hotel and airline programs send out emails to millions of members hoping that they’ve earned your vote as being the “best” in a particular category. Voters decide on the frequent travel programs they feel have achieved excellence.

Here’s an example of a screenshot from an AAdvantage email –

Once the millions of votes are tallied, the winners are announced live at the event and trophies are handed out. It gives programs a chance to shine, and gives voters a voice.

This year’s venue was amazing. If you’ve never been to the Delta Flight museum before, The Gate has a great write up including admission prices and tips. Here’s a link to the official Delta Flight Museum as well.

Last night after settling in to their seats, guests noshed on delicious fare as the sun set and winners were announced. Many that walked up on stage to collect their awards took the opportunity to thank voters for choosing them, and gave speeches to the crowd.

A new category was added in 2015 called “Up and Coming Program of the Year”. I thought it was a great way to recognize a program that may not have won, but is really showing great promise.

Without further ado, here are the winners from the 2015 Freddie Awards –

Americas

Airline

Best Customer Service — Southwest Airlines – Rapid Rewards
Best Promotion — Avianca – LifeMiles
Best Elite Program — American Airlines – AAdvantage
Best Redemption Ability — Southwest Airlines – Rapid Rewards
Up and Coming Program of the Year — Avianca – LifeMiles
Program of the Year — American Airlines – AAdvantage

Hotel

Best Customer Service — MGM – M life
Best Promotion — Choice Hotels – Choice Privileges
Best Elite Program — Hyatt – Gold Passport
Best Redemption Ability — Starwood – Starwood Preferred Guest
Up and Coming Program of the Year — MGM – M life
Program of the Year — Marriott Hotels – Marriott Rewards

Best Loyalty Credit Card — Southwest Airlines – Rapid Rewards Premier Card

Europe & Africa

Airline

Best Customer Service — Lufthansa – Miles & More
Best Promotion — AIR FRANCE/KLM – Flying Blue
Best Elite Program — AIR FRANCE/KLM – Flying Blue
Best Redemption Ability — AIR FRANCE/KLM – Flying Blue
Up and Coming Program of the Year — Aegean Airlines – Miles+Bonus
Program of the Year — AIR FRANCE/KLM – Flying Blue

Hotel

Best Customer Service — Starwood – Starwood Preferred Guest
Best Promotion — Accor Hotels – Le Club Accorhotels
Best Elite Program — Starwood – Starwood Preferred Guest
Best Redemption Ability — IHG – IHG Rewards Club
Up and Coming Program of the Year — Wyndham – Wyndham Rewards
Program of the Year — Accor Hotels – Le Club Accorhotels
Best Affinity Credit Card — Flying Blue American Express Card

Middle East and Asia/Oceania

Airline

Best Customer Service — Virgin Australia – Velocity
Best Promotion — El Al – Matmid Club
Best Elite Program— Etihad – Etihad Guest
Best Redemption Ability — Virgin Australia – Velocity
Up and Coming Program of the Year — Saudia Airlines – Saudia Alfursan
Up and Coming Program of the Year — El Al – Matmid Club
Program of the Year — Virgin Australia – Velocity

Hotel

Best Customer Service — IHG – IHG Rewards Club
Best Promotion — Accor Hotels – Le Club Accorhotels
Best Elite Program — Hyatt – Gold Passport
Best Redemption Ability — Starwood – Starwood Preferred Guest
Up and Coming Program of the Year — Best Western – Best Western Rewards
Program of the Year — Accor Hotels – Le Club Accorhotels
Best Affinity Credit Card — ADCB Etihad Guest Card

Were the winners the same ones you voted for? What do you think of the results?

There were two especially touching moments during the evening.

One was during the announcement of Lufthansa’s win for best customer service in Europe & Africa. Out of respect for their recent Germanwings loss incident, Miles & More respectfully sent a message to thank voters but didn’t have an attendee at the celebration.

The second was when Chair of the Nominations Committee and MC Gary Leff mentioned that the creator of the Freddies, Randy Petersen would regretfully not be attending this year. The crowd was disappointed but gave a huge round of applause to recognize him.

Congratulations to all the programs who won last night!