Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Named ‘Frequent Flyer Program of the Year’ for Third Consecutive Year

The Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan was named "Frequent Flyer Program of the Year" — the airline industry equivalent of Hollywood’s Oscar for Best Picture — at the 17th Annual Freddie Awards.

The awards, voted on this year by some 315,000 frequent flyers across the nation, also gave Alaska top marks for "Best Website" and "Best Member Communications."

"Receiving this recognition for the third year in a row is especially meaningful to us because it comes from our customers," said Ann Ardizzone, Alaska’s managing director of marketing programs, who accepted the honors in New York. "It’s a genuine tribute not only to our program, which offers valuable benefits with a wide array of travel partners, but also to our employees who consistently strive to deliver warm and caring service."

For 17 years, frequent travelers have made their picks for the best frequent traveler programs via the Freddie Awards. Introduced by InsideFlyer magazine publisher Randy Petersen in 1988, the Freddies allow members to rank programs from their point of view. The awards have grown in stature and importance and are the most prestigious consumer-generated awards in the industry.

Alaska also captured two second-places, for "Best Customer Service" and "Best Award Redemption," as well as third-place rankings in the "Best Award" and "Best Affinity Credit Card" categories.

The awards are named after Sir Freddie Laker, a commercial aviation pioneer in England who, in 1966, founded Britain’s first all-jet air carrier Laker Airways Limited.

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members have more than a dozen airlines to choose from for earning mileage and redeeming award travel, including more major U.S. airlines than any other frequent-flyer program. The program offers additional opportunities to earn miles through an extensive network of partners including the Alaska Airlines Visa credit and debit cards, Mileage Plan Shopping, Mileage Plan Dining, Safeway and more than 30 hotel and car rental partners worldwide.

Alaska Airlines along with its sister airline, Horizon Air, together serve more than 80 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico. For reservations go to alaskaair.com or horizonair.com, or call 1-800-ALASKAAIR (1-800-252-7522) or Horizon Air at 1-800-547-9308.

For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines Newsroom at http://newsroom.alaskaair.com/.

SOURCE: Alaska Airlines