The Third Freddie Awards: 4,400 Ballots From 14 Countries

The Freddies for 1990 — our third year-end celebration of excellence in frequent traveler programs — are official, across eight categories.

More than 4,400 ballots arrived this year, many carrying comments of both frustration and praise. No ballot came by Federal Express this time, but the mail travelled farther: votes arrived from 14 countries and from travelers in all 50 U.S. states.

Can there be a best when every program hands out awards? Our readers think so. The results are a record of how far these programs have come, a chronicle of their ingenuity, and a statement about where they stand with the people who make them work.

Every category names two winners: a frequent flyer program and a hotel guest program. Marriott and Continental OnePass took all of them.

Two programs came close enough to be worth naming. Hyatt Gold Passport nearly beat Marriott in at least two categories, and United ran second to Continental in several.