New Survey Dubs Alaska Air Best Mileage Program

Another day, another best-of/worst-of survey, purporting to shed light on the question of which mileage program trumps the rest.

This one, conducted by Frequent Business Traveler and FlyerTalk, put the matter in its simplest terms: How satisfied are you with the award-redemption process of the airline programs you participate in?

That simplicity is both the survey’s strength and its weakness. We get a straightforward “best of” list. But we are left with a one-dimensional view of the ranked programs.

Based on responses from 1,342 readers, the airlines with the best and worst mileage-program award redemption are as follows:

1. Alaska – 91 percent very satisfied or satisfied
2. Southwest – 83 percent
3. American – 79 percent
4. JetBlue – 78 percent
5. United – 78 percent
6. Hawaiian – 74 percent
7. Lufthansa – 65 percent
8. British Airways – 60 percent
9. Air France-KLM – 60 percent
10. US Airways – 55 percent
11. Delta – 33 percent
12. Air Canada (Aeroplan) – 32 percent

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Reader Reality Check

How do these rankings correspond to your own experience redeeming miles with the reviewed programs?

This article originally appeared on FrequentFlier.com.

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