Three U.S. airlines’ frequent-flier programs rank in the top 10 worldwide, a new study of 59 programs by a United Kingdom business travel management company shows.
United Airlines’ MileagePlus ranks No. 1, American Airlines’ AAdvantage is No. 4 and Delta Air Lines’ SkyMiles is No. 10, according to Good Travel Management, which analyzed 59 programs worldwide.
The No. 2 program is Air Canada’s Aeroplan; Turkish Airlines’ Miles & Smiles ranks No. 3.
The rankings are based on five criteria: average monthly Google searches globally; points/miles expiration; number of destinations served; quality of airport lounges; airline Trustpilot score, and legroom for long-haul business-class travel or seating equivalent.
United’s MileagePlus ranks as the best program because miles do not expire, the airlines flies to numerous destinations and seats have “generous” legroom, Good Travel Management says.
MileagePlus “has more than 100 million members, a plethora of ways to earn and redeem miles for the best value and is well-known for its lucrative travel credit card offers,” the travel management company says.
The loyalty program with the worst rating is Spirit Airlines’ Free Spirit. Points in the program expire after 12 months, and the program received a low Trustpilot score.
Volare, the frequent-flier program of Italy’s ITA Airways, ranks second worst, and Frontier Airlines is third worst, according to Good Travel Management.
