Alaska and Marriott Named the Top Loyalty Programs of 2018

In Bududa, a lush yet landslide-prone district of eastern Uganda, Mary Butsina and a growing number of other women farmers are building their livelihoods around coffee. “I’m supporting all of my 10 children with it,” says the 36-year-old, holding a red bucket, Mount Elgon looming behind her.

Traditional food has a stronghold on Athens’ dining scene, and Greece as a whole. Widespread respect for classic dishes means that family recipes are often untampered with, even at restaurants, but contemporary newcomers have also found their voice in the sea of tradition.

A Southwest Airlines passenger said she enlisted the help of her Instagram followers to retrieve her lost bags after airline staff said they couldn't help.

Every year, a small suburban town called Twinsburg, Ohio hosts the Twins Days Festival — the largest gathering of twins in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

A United Airlines passenger flew two hours across the US after the airline failed to reunite her with her bag.

Baur au Lacis one of Zurich’s most prestigious and recognizable hotels, attracting guests from around the world to its waterside location since 1844. In its 179-year history, Baur au Lac has very much been a family business, owned and managed by the Baur-Kracht family, and this year marks a new chapter in the hotel’s leadership. Marguita Kracht joins her father at the helm of the property, as a seventh generation owner of the heralded hotel ushering in new ideas about sustainability and technology.

It’s no longer something to keep hidden.

A recent report released from travel marketing engine Sojern, analyzed travel trends from January 2015 to April 2016 and found the top international destinations for U.S. travelers as well as the top emerging and declining international spots.

With Alaska Airline’s acquisition of Virgin America, it was just a matter of time before Virgin’s loyalty program, Elevate, was terminated and its members folded into Alaska’s Mileage Plan program. In the meantime, the programs were somewhat integrated, allowing reciprocal mileage earning. And beginning on January 9, 2017, Elevate members will be able to convert their points at a 1:1.3 ratio to miles in Mileage Plan, and have their Virgin status matched in Alaska’s program.

With Delta and United’s transition to spend-based loyalty programs last year, and American’s upcoming later this year, there’s no longer room for debate as to the industry standard. Travelers should now expect to be rewarded according to their spend, not according to the number of miles they fly.

Delta award discounts are becoming so frequent, if not exactly regular, that SkyMiles members may be left wondering which are the “normal” prices: the discounted rates, or the non-discounted rates. With the almost certain prospect of more award sales to come, it certainly makes ponying up the normal award price seem like an unnecessary extravagance.

If your airline loyalty has been on autopilot for the past few years, this would be a good time to reassess your choice of frequent flyer programs. A lot has changed, and not for the better.