Most honest is WN by far - it's a no-bull program. They are, of course, limited in scope and they have blackout dates, but the don't bury this information in fine print and there are no garbage fees. WN is able to present a straightforward product with no disinformation or doublespeak and make a profit. Love 'em or hate 'em: admit it - they are the most honest.

I do not consider any of the legacy airlines to be honest. They attempt to make money with deception, one-way flexibility (their flexibility), disinformation, fine print, garbage fees, frequently-changing parameters, and consumer unfriendly service. No surprise that they are all losing money, whereas WN makes a profit by taking the opposite approach.

I don't view any of the hotel programs as dishonest. Every year, they recategorize some properties. We know the properties have it in their interest to campaign for a higher level in the program. The Starwood I recently stayed at (Sheraton COS) is going from Cat 1 to Cat 2. I wish it had stayed Cat 1, but I can see why they deserve Cat 2. And when the hotels have undergone devaluations (like HH and MR in recent years - I haven't been involved with SPG that long), they gave members about 1 1/2 years to get awards out at the lower levels. We had 6-9 months' notice of the changes, and then a year after that to actually complete the award stay. I've gotten my awards in all of the programs when I've wanted them, and the change/cancel rules are reasonable. I consider the programs fair and forthright to the members. Whenever I've had a problem with my points or benefits, the program has fixed it quickly.

In general, I sense that the hotels respect me. They respect my time, they respect my wish to do business fairly, and they respect my long-term business relationship with them. I don't get that sense from the airlines at all.