This category has had one of the longest and most consistent streaks for a winner ever with Virgin Australia Velocity winning the category eight of the past nine years (El AL won the award in 2017). So the win by Singapore KrisFlyer represents a huge shift in the value of loyalty programs in the Middle East & Asia/Oceania region. And Singapore did it with their usual aplomb garnering a 9.23 rating by their members. In the #2 spot with a rating of 8.90 is Vistara Club Vistara followed by Garuda Indonesia GarudaMiles with a member rating of 8.23. And where are past winners of this important category? Velocity has dropped to #7 two full points + behind the winning category rating and El Al did not even make the top ten. For Velocity, it is quite the fall as they are now ranked below that of rival Qantas who finished in the #6 spot. The bright star of the Australian airline loyalty marketplace—Air New Zealand landed a quite respectable #4.
TRIVIA: Vistara Airlines (#2) is actually a joint venture between Tata Sons (a privately held conglomerate in India) and Singapore Airlines. Their headquarters is in Gurgaon, also known as Gurugram, (a suburb of New Delhi which is an urban district within the city of Delhi) which is also the headquarters for Freddie Award winner Club ITC.
Full Voting Results
| Rank | Program of the Year – Airlines (Middle East & Asia/Oceania) | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 9.23 |
| 2 | Vistara Club Vistara | 8.90 |
| 3 | Garuda Indonesia GarudaMiles | 8.23 |
| 4 | Air New Zealand Airpoints | 8.03 |
| 5 | Korean Air Skypass | 7.62 |
| 6 | Qantas Frequent Flyer | 7.57 |
| 7 | Virgin Australia Velocity | 7.15 |
| 8 | Philippine Airlines Mabuhay Miles | 7.08 |
| 9 | Malaysia Airlines Enrich | 7.08 |
| 10 | Emirates Skywards | 7.00 |
| 11 | Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 7.00 |
| 12 | Air India Flying Returns | 6.92 |
| 13 | JAL Mileage Bank | 6.59 |
| 14 | Asiana Airlines Asiana Club | 6.59 |
| 15 | Air China PhoenixMiles | 6.50 |
| 16 | ANA Nippon Airways Mileage Club | 6.50 |
| 17 | Air Arabia Air Rewards | 6.27 |
| 18 | Gulf Air FalconFlyer | 6.22 |
| 19 | Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 6.22 |
| 20 | China Eastern Airlines Eastern Miles | 6.20 |
| 21 | InterMiles | 6.19 |
| 22 | Thai Royal Orchid Plus | 5.97 |
| 23 | EVA Airways Infinity MileageLands | 5.93 |
| 24 | Etihad Guest | 5.92 |
| 25 | AirAsia Big | 5.73 |
| 26 | China Airlines Dynasty Flyer | 5.72 |
| 27 | Oman Air Sinbad | 5.71 |
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