LifeMiles: the up-and-comer that refuses to finish coming up

Up and Coming Program of the Year — Airlines, Americas · Avianca LifeMiles

We may eventually need to have a conversation with LifeMiles about the definition of “up-and-coming.”

Avianca LifeMiles wins the award for 2026.

Again.

This isn’t exactly some shy new loyalty program waiting to be discovered.

LifeMiles has been part of the Freddie conversation for years and has developed an especially loyal following among travelers who know their way around Star Alliance awards.

The program’s roots stretch back through Avianca’s older loyalty programs, but LifeMiles became its own recognizable currency and eventually something of a frequent-flyer cult favorite.

Particularly among people who have never flown Avianca.

That’s one of the stranger achievements in loyalty.

LifeMiles can be purchased, transferred from partners and redeemed across Star Alliance, which means the currency has become useful well beyond Avianca’s own route map.

The Up and Coming award isn’t necessarily about being new.

It’s about programs that score extremely well among the people who know them but don’t necessarily possess the voting mass of the giants.

LifeMiles fits beautifully.

Although after this many years, perhaps we should rename the trophy:

Up.

They’ve already come.