WASHINGTON — With shrinking seats, a spate of passenger incidents and the drudgery of security checkpoints, air travel doesn’t seem to be getting any easier. But at least there’s a bright spot for travelers: airline perks.
Which begs the question: Which airline has the best elite status program?
Analyst Nick Ewen with the travel website ThePointsGuy.com set out to answer that.
“The ability to check a bag for free that weighs 70 pounds instead of 50 pounds when you’re traveling with a 2 1/2-year-old toddler can make all the difference in terms of all the gear you have to bring,” Ewen told CBS News.
Ewen took a detailed look at the major airlines and what they offer loyal customers.
Because, he says, perk programs really matter.
“Being able to get standby, or change to an earlier flight when a storm is coming or when a meeting ends earlier, it makes the difference between a traveler getting home to see his or her family that night instead of potentially getting stranded in the airport,” Ewen said.
Alaska Airlines ended up taking the top overall spot in the ThePointsGuy study “largely because it’s the only one of these major carriers that awards frequent flyer miles based on flying rather than spending.”
“Being loyal to a single carrier carries a lot of value and Alaska really stands head and shoulder above its peers,” Ewen said.
The report also found, however, that most frequent fliers got the best value out of United Airlines.
ThePointsGuy looked at eight specific criteria to compile its list:
- Airport perks (10 percent);
- Reservation perks (5 percent);
- In-flight perks (25 percent);
- Fee waivers (20 percent);
- Bonuses (20 percent);
- Partner perks (5 percent);
- Flexible perks (10 percent);
- Non-flying perks (5 percent).
See the overall ranks below:
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