Well, I'm dissapointed that you interpret that philforest. Somehow, you're missing something very important. First, if they (USA Today) knew anything about these programs, they wouldn't have asked us to do a rating. Second, by "request", I was simply saying that they asked us to do the work for them, they had no editorial direction on the ratings, but simply provided us with the categories which to compare programs against each other. These categories are actually nothing new, coming from a similar rating of programs for Conde Naste Traveler which we did several years back. Third, as for you being dissapointed, consider how brave we were to even accept the assignment, since you have to know that anyone rated below #1 becomes a mortal enemy. Do you think I'll get upgraded on the next Delta flight? Or will they know me the next time I check in at Marriott? I don't worry about those things, because if I did, we really never would have done the work for USA Today. As for your opinion in the USA Today survey, that was on purpose. The idea behind statistical research is to separate the research from emotional ties. We did not survey any particular person, but rather a combination of many factors, some being comparisons of standards, others being comparisons of numbers, like the number of blackout dates that Delta (you mention Delta, so we'll use that as a standard here) has vs. other programs. Like the reality that Delta is the only frequent flyer program in the U.S. without a Visa/MasterCard credit card partner (they are the top two card issuers in the world). Like the fact that Delta is the only major frequent flyer program that restricts their best customers (Medallion) from upgrading against "L" fares which is a very, very powerful lightning rod. Also, have you tired to upgrade your spouse with you when traveling on Delta, like you can with other major programs? Why is it that Delta is the only major carrier without a truly identifiable global alliance partnership that aggregates benefits and privileges? You know, like OneWorld, Star Alliance (I know about the Atlantic Excellance allaince). These ratings aren't just the flavor of the day, they are a composite of results over the last 3-12 months, because you must measure on past performance, not future promises. You mention Delta. I actually am a big fan of Delta, and in fact, count them among my top two favorite programs when choosing personal miles. How much do I like Delta? Well, I owned the trademark to SkyMiles at one time. When they approached me with the idea of acquiring it from me because they were thinking of renaming their 'Frequent Flyer' program, I gave it to them without a fee. Do you know how much money I could have got for that trademark? I like them, but I'm comfortable they were rated correctly in the USA Today survey as compared against other programs. I do know that I've continued to contribute my opinions on what would make them better and with some small adjustments, they are almost instantly among the leaders.

And just for the record, I'm not married, so I couldn't possible have beated my 'wife.'