Best (and Worst) Airlines for Using Travel Rewards
Free flights and upgrades make travel incentive programs quite attractive. The only problem is that some airlines are not very flexible with them. They put limits on when you can book rewarded rides, and that can be a huge frustration. Here are the best and worst airlines to use travel rewards.
In its review of Switchfly Reward Seating Availability, IdeaWorks investigated the availability of reward flights for 25 different frequent flyer programs. They made over 7,000 requests for 280 specific dates for each airline. The percentage in the chart is the “Availability Ratio,” which is the percentage of dates that the trip was possible as part of the reward.
You can read more about their methodology here , but for now, here’s what they found. Here are the top 10 airlines for travel reward flexibility:
They also ranked the best airlines for long-haul flights over 2,500 miles:
At the bottom of the list, Delta was among the airlines with the least flexibility. They only had a readiness rate of 57.9%. It is the fifth-worst airline in terms of premium seat availability. Behind them: Scandinavian, Air China, Avianca and LAN.
The good news is that airlines are improving overall:
The average for all airlines in 2010 was 66.1%, and this year it has grown to 74%. Second, global network airlines are improving their ratings for long-haul award seats … Third, in the United States, the availability of nearby award seats is firmly rooted in reality. United, Air Canada, Southwest and American have made significant improvements, offering more departures in just a few days or weeks, with success rates ranging from 72% to 92% for this group of four airlines.
To see the full results, follow the link below.
Southwest and airberlin Still Top Awards, Alaska Airlines and Avianca Move Up Rankings | IdeaWorks via Consumerist