El Al and Virgin Australia Dominate Among Airlines, Starwood Hotels SPG’s Blowout Night
El Al’s Matmid program and Virgin Australia’s Velocity program managed to win all but one Freddie Award in the airline category this year. Though El Al serves just a handful of destinations and lacks any true premium product, their Matmid program appears to make up for what the airline lacks. However, El Al’s Matmid did not win in a landslide with multiple programs trailing the Matmid program close behind. Starwood’s SPG program, however, did have a landslide night winning all but one hotel related award.
27th Annual Freddie Award Winners in The Middle East/Asia/Oceania
El Al and Virgin Australia continue to dominate the Freddie Awards in the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania. Though Middle Eastern carriers feature fantastic onboard products, they lack valuable frequent flyer programs. Starwood Hotels also continued its reign in the region taking all but one award.
Hotels
Highlights: SPG continues reign in Asia, Middle East, and Oceania/Trident Hotels receives 210 Award
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Program of the Year | Starwood Hotels, Starwood Preferred Guest |
| Best Elite Benefits | Starwood Hotels, Starwood Preferred Guest |
| Best Promotion | Starwood Hotels, Starwood Preferred Guest |
| Best Customer Service | Starwood Hotels, Starwood Preferred Guest |
| Best Award Redemption Availability | Starwood Hotels, Starwood Preferred Guest |
| 210 Award | Trident Hotels, Trident Privilege |
Airlines
Highlights: With El Al and Virgin Australia taking home all of this year’s awards, it was a near repeat of last year’s Freddie Awards/ANA’s Mileage Club manages to snag 210 Award, an award that went to Jet Airways last year
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Program of the Year | El Al, Matmid Club |
| Best Elite Benefits | Virgin Australia, Velocity |
| Best Promotion | El Al, Matmid Club |
| Best Customer Service | El Al, Matmid Club |
| Best Award Redemption Availability | Virgin Australia, Velocity |
| 210 Award | ANA, ANA Mileage Club |
Credit Card
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Affinity Credit Card | American Express Membership Rewards |
Overall
The 27th Freddie Awards for the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania were nearly a repeat of the last few years. El Al, Virgin Australia, and Starwood Hotels continued to dominate.
What did you think about this year’s Freddie Award winners?
