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Allegiant Won HOW MANY USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards?

Allegiant Air and Wyndham Rewards walked away with the top honors in the 2022 USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, beating out many legacy brands' loyalty programs.
According to USA Today readers, 2022 is the year of low-cost travel in the air and on the ground.

 

In the 2022 version of the 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, Allegiant Air walked away with the awards for Best Frequent Flyer Program and Best Airline Credit Card, while Wyndham Rewards walked away with honors for Best Hotel Loyalty Program and Best Hotel Credit Card.

 

Discount Brands Earn Top Honors in Reader-Voted Awards

In the airline category, Allegiant Air Allways Rewards beat out all four major U.S.-based airlines’ frequent flyer programs, with Delta Air Lines SkyMiles coming in second. Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards came in third, while United Airlines MileagePlus finished fourth in voting. Oneworld programs American Airlines AAdvantage finished in fifth and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan came in ninth. Other honorees in the category include Turkish Airlines, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, British Airways and Emirates.

 

The Allegiant Allways World Mastercard completed the sweep in the airline category for the Las Vegas-based carrier, outranking three Southwest cards, two Delta SkyMiles cards, and one card each from Alaska, American and United. The British Airways Visa Signature Card was the only foreign carrier card represented on the list.

 

On the hotel side, Wyndham Rewards won the awards for both Best Hotel Loyalty Program and Best Hotel Credit Card. Best Western Rewards earned the second spot, while Hilton Honors earned third. Marriott Bonvoy ranked fifth in votes, while World of Hyatt came in 10th place. Among hotel co-branded credit cards, the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card outplaced three Hilton Honors cards and three Marriott Bonvoy cards, along with offerings from Best Western, InterContinental Hotels Group and Choice Privileges.

 

Although the USA Today 10Best awards does not reveal their methodology or vote count, the fan choice awards program says they partner with a “panel of experts” to select 20 nominees, with the top 10 ultimately determined by online votes.

 

USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards Differ Significantly from Skytrax

The USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards show a different side of traveler preferences as the industry comes back to life after the pandemic. In the 2022 Skytrax Awards, only two U.S.-based carriers earned honors: Delta picked up six for their cabin products, while United won one for the best business class lounge.

9 Comments
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gglave October 30, 2022

For the vast majority of the flying public, nothing matters more than 1) the lowest fare and 2) a nonstop flight.

Not legroom, pillows, meals, free drinks, lounges... Nothing.

So it is no surprise Allegiant would win.

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sdsearch October 29, 2022

I think these USA Today contests are so biased as to be irrelevant.

I always get emails from Wynhdam to vote for them in USA Today, and most years that's the only hotel program that emails me (even though I belong to most hotel programs that have FlyerTalk forums except for Accord.  But this year Best Western also to send me an email to vote for them in USA Today.

So look at this, the hotels which send emails to their members to vote for them come out #1 and #2, and the hotels that don't seem email to their member to vote from them come out below that.

How is that not biased toward the programs that send emails to their email members to vote for them?

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FF524 October 26, 2022

My $.02 - as a long time and current Delta Diamond, Allegiant has become my go to choice for easy non-stop liesure travel. Easy on, easy off, no fuss airline that gets me where I need to go and I can skip ATL. My expectations are pretty straightforward - on time and safe and Allegiant hits the mark on safe and mostly on time. Add to that the fare structure, on board selection of snacks and drinks and their willingness to unload the plane from both front and rear doors in some locales and it is a win win. By contrast to my Delta experience this week - everything via Atlanta, full fare, a gazillion people in the upgrade queue, a sweet spot in the E seat at the very last row and an arrival at ATL terminal T with a connecting flight at ther very last gate of A. What's not to love?!? Ah, the SkyClub - indeed, waiting behind the velvet ropes for 20 minutes to go inside with just enough time to turn around and leave.

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strickerj October 26, 2022

I wonder if the reason, due to their budget market position, is they have more infrequent travelers as members. Lower expectations being exceeded will generally result in higher satisfaction than higher expectations not being met, even if the latter was still objectively the better experience.

That, or, as mentioned below, they were the better sponsors.

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seamallowance October 26, 2022

"Voted most likely to advertise in USA Today"