US News/World Report Best/Worst Airline/Hotel Programs
 

Yup I agree...

Me too though surprised Hilton is so low.

Hey, they aren't last.

But, their actions have made it clear that they don't care about winning these types of contests.

Redemption rates have got ridiculous. I am a DM with them and have moved almost 100% to MR because I can get really good deals still. Sucks because I have been a HH guy for many years but when it takes 35k for a night in a Hampton or Homewood I have to look to MR. 15K gets a night in a Springfield suites with a rather nice breakfast...

Nice ^

Delta....totally agree! A little surprised about HH and SPG though.

I think HH still has a pretty strong mid-tier program (Gold) - free upgrades to club level/breakfast and the points as gift. Just my 2 cents.

SPG, I like their program. Pretty easy to earn and retain their Plat status. But, YMMV ofcourse!

But... But... the Delta corporate shill accounts have been assuring me that all these changes were for my own good and really have been making the program better!

A couple thoughts...

1) No way is TrueBlue the 4th best reward program in the US.

2) The hotel rankings are kind of funny because they don't seem to take into account the actual value you receive. I mean, I value a free night in a Best Western at something less than $0.

Marriott being #1 invalidates the whole survey IMO.

I view Marriott and DL the same way; great product with devalued program.

I would agree that Richard Anderson probably doesn't much care what US News says about DL's ff program. But c'mon, it's gotta sting just a little to rank 2nd to last, behind UA and F9.

I feel the same way about WN and I guess that it is a matter of perspective. It is great if you don't mind cattle class all the way and want to go to BFE, but if you want a real vacation... they don't fly there.

I would think they (the companies) don't really care. The seasoned traveler will not change their travel habits from just seeing this poll, they picked programs based on suitability towards their preferences.
The people it may affect are the one-off travelers that might consider one brand over the other, but in the end it will be $$ that mostly determines their choices.

The only thing I will say about WN is that the Companion Pass is a pretty cool perk for the right sort of traveler. And they do have some better destinations than they used to, thanks to gobbling up AirTran. Not great mind you, but better than having to choose between Mickey and Vegas.

But B6? You don't really have aspirational awards aside from MINT. Your redemption value is basically capped at around a penny and a half. But the real kick in the groin with B6 is that Mosaic doesn't even give you free Even More Space.

DL might have a poor loyalty program compared to other airlines, but honestly, this doesn't really bother me. At the end of the day, Delta has the best, most reliable product of the majors. As long as I get what I pay for, I'm happy. Anything else is just gravy.