Asian award programs are largely underutilized by North American travelers, in no small part because of the difficulty of finding English-language (or even easily translatable) information on the program, and JAL is no exception. But with the changes in other oneworld partners, JAL has quickly become the best and in some cases the only place to turn for certain awards.
Aeroplan is actually run separately from Air Canada, so it is more focused on profits than some other
Iberia Plus is a reward program that many casual awards travelers don’t consider, but should. Iberia and British Airways are actually one and the same. But like the Air France/KLM/Delta relationship, Iberia/British Airways operate their flights and their frequent flyer programs somewhat independently.
For many North American
One of the newer players in American aviation, JetBlue started right at the end of the last millennium as part of a new wave of domestic low-cost carriers, but has blossomed into a serious player in the last 15 years.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan has an intriguing fan base. People who live in the Northwest, near the airlines hubs, love its availability, perks and pricing. But many people who don’t live near or regularly fly Alaska Airlines routes are also devoted Mileage Plan members.
Capital One Venture Rewards are ideal for people who are NOT loyal to a particular airline or hotel and don’t want to spend time sifting through award inventory or waiting for award seats to open up.
Like Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards is a transfer program. It’s not intrinsically tied to any one hotel or airline, so
Long a favorite among frequent flyers, American Airlines AAdvantage has garnered the Freddie Awards (the top honor for frequent flyer programs) for the Program of the Year and the Best Elite Program for three years straight. But it’s in a really interesting position these days for two reasons: its merger with US Airways and the huge changes going on with the United and Delta programs.
Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) is much more than it seems. On the surface, it looks like a simple
The newest travel award program on the scene, Barclaycard Arrival, takes a very different approach than Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards. There are no transfer partners. No bonuses when you redeem for travel with airlines or hotels. Just use your miles to pay for travel directly.
Delta has been taking flak from frequent flyers for years, for a variety of valid reasons: Their awards are much harder to come by than those of most major domestic airlines; you cant book one-way awards without a huge penalty; and its often a huge time suck to find the award you want to book on their website.
If you take a lot of flights around America (North, Central or South), Avios may be the best program for you. Because of its close partnership with American Airlines, you can use Avios to book pretty much any American flight for a fraction of the miles, since the Executive Club uses distance-based awards rather than zone-based awards.
Unlike many airline programs that have been around for decades, the Chase Ultimate Rewards program is very new on the scene just five years old this month which may explain part of why it is such an attractive offering.
United Airlines has good domestic coverage, with several hubs in the middle of the U.S. for varied domestic and international routing options, and a very wide network of international air and hotel partners through Star Alliance and individual partnerships.
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