Freddie Awards: Voting is Almost Here!
 

Voting begins January 15 and the ceremony will be held April 28
http://www.freddieawards.com/

Who offered the best bonus, best award, best award redemption, and best elite level in 2004? Which domestic or international airline is your airline of the year? Hotel of the year? How will you be voting?

Hopefully the Freddies will be held in New York City.

Dan

I'd like to see HP win best elite level again, but I doubt they will. They haven't improved the program at all. Hopefully, AA will win something this year.

Thanks for the early interest. it will bo interesting as always from my perspective to see where the public is heading on their "value" vote. For the last 6-7 years in the airline sector there has been a spotlight on the efforts of the low-cost carriers (which started well before the other media's sudden attraction to these carriers). I wouldn't be surprised to see some sort of trend returning to the value of the larger carriers, though with the continuing financial struggles, that may never happen.

One update on the international level. This year the Freddies will have seperate voting for Europe, Middle East, Africa; Asia, Pacific and of course the Americas since there really are a different types of programs that oprate from these various regions rather than a single "international."

Restricting myself to a discussion of airlines, and North America for a moment.

I think there are huge differences within elite levels, it's almost even strange to vote on 'Best Elite Level' or program.

My own view is that the best top elite level belongs to American, followed closely by United. Certainly among programs with 3 (official) tiers. If I were giving a third-place vote for best top elite level it would go to Alaska, btw.

But if I were a first or second-tieir elite I'd rather be a member of the Northwest or America West programs I think because of their unlimited complimentary upgrades and the extent to which the programs deliver on those upgrades to all elite members and not just those at the very top.

On Best Award Redemption (again, Americas) I'd give the nod to American, Alaska, United, and Delta in that order -- fully recognizing that American got a bit tighter this year at least anecdotally. Alaska does a really good job with award availability, and has strong partnerships, but is somewhat limited in its own route network. United has gotten far more difficult to redeem an award with -- less availability (or just greater demand for the same capacity?), reducing hold times from 14 days to 3 (down from 30 days just a few years ago), and limiting redemption on LH transatlantic flights to a specific window. Nevertheless, Star Alliance awards really should put them in the running still.

Northwest and Continental are just awful at redemption on their own metal, but their partnerships allow you to redeem on carriers that actually do make awards available. So their miles are worth something. However the gutting of the Northwest chart especially this year deserves a major :td: .

I wouldn't give the award to Southwest, because while they've managed to eschew capacity controls they simply don't provide for the redemption of the kind of awards I would ever want.

Best Affinity Credit Card ought to belong to the Starwood Amex, followed by Diners Club.

I'd give Best Website to Northwest, with honorable mention to Continental for their new award availability calendar. AA might even be up there, but there's a lack of detail on some of their award rules. UA is just downright unreliable. AS and WN deserve mention for their simplicity.

Best Newsletter just isn't important to me.

Best Customer Service? I love the folks at Alaska. Continental actually deserves some small mention for finally creating an actual elite desk. No doubt Southwest offers good customer service, but I have no direct experience here.

Thoughts on Best Bonus? Nothing immediately springs to mind, but I think it's just the haze before New Year's Eve. I love United's DC Round-the-World promo, but it's too regional to win.

Freddies in 2005
 

Does anyone know where the Freddies will be held in 2005? :)

my thought on the freddies is summed up by spg.com winning an award. period.

Jim,

Last year, Randy announced the location in late February.

16th or 17th?
 

Are these the 16th or 17th annual awards. The Web site seems to say both in the same paragraph. :confused:

Other pages on the site have this anomaly too.

Starwood will win lots of awards. Deservedly so. But if there's any justice in the world, a repeat of Best Website will not be one of them.

i agree. and, dont get me wrong. i havent been platinum every year since i first starting staying at starwoods for nothing. they have great customer service and great properties. and, the lurker rocks.

but, almost everything to do with electronic communications is a definite lowlight for starwood (web site, emails from properties returned despite having links to ask questions, etc.). the fact that spg.com didn't win worst web site (and, in fact, won best website) is truly amazing (and, not in a good way).

I don't care where they are held, I just hope we get invited again. :D

It totally amazes me to see how many people use the award in their advertising.

Speaking as a New Yorker I think the reason there was such a great turnout last year was precisely because NY was convenient for so many folks. I'm with you Dan-------NEW YORK NEW YORK NEW YORK ^ ^ ^

Of course New Yorkers seem passionate about a desire to keep the Freddies in New York, but I will note that:

* Freddies in COS were alot of fun, and Randy & Co were exceptionally gracious hosts at the House of Miles. Wyndham did a fabulous job, too.

* We're FTers for goodness sakes, what's wrong with a little travel to an event? ;)

* The location of the event isn't really designed to attract us though Randy has been very generous in inviting us to participate and even picking up our tab. How neat is it that the traveling public gets to participate not just in voting but in being present for the awards? And mingling with the program staff? It's a thrill, truly, and one I think we all ought to appreciate - no matter where Randy decides to hold the event.

A big ^ ^ ^ to the sponsors as well who make it possible!

Shameless plus for the 5th annual dhammer53 Brooklyn Reality Tour. :o

I wouldn't know best top-tier. :(

Best mid-tier and low-tier: I'd give it to AA hands-down. For me, the most important thing is being able to obtain a decent level of customer service when I need it. I don't call AA often on the phone, but when I'm stuck in Chicago during a snowstorm, I want access to a human without waiting on hold. AA gives me that. United doesn't. And AA allows me to pre-select exit row and get occasional upgrades when I want them. They do good enough for me in the upgrade category, although I don't really get all that jazzed about anybody's domestic F product to care too much.

Best award redemption, IMHO, should go to AA. Anecdotally, I've gotten everything I could want from my AA awards. Hawaii, Europe, premium cabins, etc. Part of it might be due to the fact that I live in the middle of the country where connecting via ORD or DFW are about equally time-consuming for most destinations. So I can consider all of AA's possible routes when looking for an award. AA gets the nod over WN because, even if I want to redeem for a domestic trip, the only days I'd want to do it are totally blacked out by WN. No awards allowed at all. At least AA will let me burn 50k if I choose - and sometimes I've even had luck getting an F award at the PlanAAhead level during peak times. My only bone to pick with AA are some of their stupid fees...

Best customer service: WN. I say this as an infrequent traveler on WN, so I'm comparing them to non-elite service on other airlines. The beauty about WN is that nobody is elite. Therefore, they can't single you out for substandard treatment because you don't fly a lot. As long as you check-in at home, WN service is wonderful. I haven't had trouble with their kiosks, so even checking a bag is okay. The rare phone call I've had to place to them has been answered by a human.

Best web-site. Don't really know...none of them will let me check availability across all partners or all award types where availabiility should be query-able online. WN has a nice simple site, but it has limitations: for example, it can't handle two pax on one booking for Internet check-in, and it can't handle infants. I would give this award to nobody, because nobody deserves it.

Best CC: SPG Amex. I love DC's rental car benefit and (to a lesser extent) international service, but from a pure rewards perspective, SPG Amex has by far the bigger yield. The merchandise catalog for DC is glitzy, but if I wanted that kind of reward I'd simply carry a 1% rebate card and locate my best plasma TV deal on my own.

I think its time for the Freddies to come to the Pacific Northwest ;)

Balloting has begun.
http://www.freddieawards.com/

Also from the Website:

Winners will be announced on April 28, 2005 in New York City.

(Shameless request inserted here to be placed on list for 5th annual dhammer53 Brooklyn Reality Tour.)

Shirl,

Done. :)

Stay tuned for information on the 5th annual 'dhammer53 Brooklyn Reality Tour'. Here we go again. :D

Date: Friday April 29.

Dan,

Can I get on your list?

Hoping to be able to make it this year.

William

Boo hoo. Both of the programmes I actively use (OK+ and A3 Miles and bonus) have gotten the short end of the stick even before the voting began! OK+ doesn't feature in the best promo bit even though they did a 50% off all eco awards to N. America, and A3's programme isn't even mentioned (it's not fabulous by any stretch of imagination but it should be an option FFS)! :mad:

William,

You're in. Is that for 1 or 2? ;)

I'll post the 2005 tour thread soon. You can post your intentions then.

As for the early entries to your list Dan: would you please add me, too...? :)

I hope that we flyertalkers are welcome to the ceremony. If not we will have to try and have a glance through an open window or so... ;)

Regardless of that: Dan's tour alone is worth the short hop over that big pond... :)

Ralf,

In the past, Randy and his team have been very welcome of Fters who wanted to join. I met my first flyertalker friends at this event in NYC 3 years ago. Dhammer, Catman, Doc and others.

I would expect the welcome mat to be out again this year!

William

I'm going to get to meet the greatest elf ever?????????????? Wow....another reason to look forward to the tour. Very cool! :cool:

Will you offer us a seat in your living room again? :) I have very nice memories of last year!!!