Even for the occasional air traveler, it makes sense to join a loyalty program.
But navigating the complexities of earning and redeeming airline reward miles can be just as difficult as doing so at LAX or JFK on holidays.
It involves choosing credit cards, mileage accumulation strategies, and finding the best way to spend your miles.
But help is at hand. Point.me, a service that helps people plan and book their trips using airline miles, has launched A complete world ranking of the 62 largest airline rewards programs.
Air France-KLM, the sister airlines that merged in 2004, had a clear lead. The top U.S. carrier was United in third place, behind Air Canada in second place.
Air France-KLM Flying Blue has been rated as the airline with the best loyalty. Passengers use the KLM lounge in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Lounge access is one of the best benefits of airline loyalty programs. This is a Delta lounge
American came in sixth, behind British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.
Alaska Airlines, which is in merger talks with Hawaiian, Qatar Airways, JetBlue and Avianca all ranked prominently in the top ten.
The third major US airline, Delta, fell to 19th place.
The report, which used 55 site experts and years of data, considered factors such as redemption rates, ease of booking, customer service and change fees.
Scroll down for the full list, which is searchable by airline and loyalty program name.
“Getting real value from airline loyalty points is often much more difficult for passengers than it should be,” said Adam Morvitz, CEO of Point.me.
‘These rankings reflect our team’s extensive travel knowledge and in-depth data analysis.’
Air France and KLM’s Flying Blue rewards programme, with a score of 93 out of 100, was recognised for its simple booking process and low redemption costs.
Flying Blue currently offers a 15,000-mile reward ticket from New York (EWR) to several European destinations.
The Chelsea Lounge at New York’s JFK Airport, jointly managed by American Airlines and British Airways
It also received high marks for the ability to book flights on partner airlines within the SkyTeam alliance, the alliance to which Delta belongs, along with Virgin Atlantic and Korean Air.
But Delta, despite its loyal following, barely managed to crack the top third, with its SkyMiles scoring a modest 49.
Delta has a loyal fan base and has become the largest airline in the United States. But in the summer, Delta warned that it might have to cut some flights because many of them were leaving empty.
The lowest-rated U.S.-based airline rewards programs were Free Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines’ Frontier Miles and Sun Country Airlines’ Sun Country Rewards.
These programs were rated as restrictive in redemption or expensive to use.
The release of the report comes amid ongoing scrutiny by the Department of Transportation, which is investigating U.S. airlines for possible unfair practices in their loyalty programs.