Executive Travel Announces 2013 Leading Edge Award Winners

In July, Executive Travel magazine released the results of their 2013 Leading Edge Awards, which honor travel providers that offer the most innovative, high-quality products to business travelers.

Each year, the readers of Executive Travel are asked to vote on their favorite travel providers. Executive Travel’s readers are considered business-travel experts who take dozens of business trips a year, spending a lot of time on planes, in airports, hotels, and rental cars.

For the study, the editors of Executive Travel, along with ROI Research, Inc., developed a questionnaire. Executive Travel readers were then invited to take part in the study via email invitations, Executive Travel’s magazine, website, newsletter and social media. The study took place between January 31 and April 1, 2013.

Since most of the executive travelers we encounter fly via private or corporate aircraft, we've highlighted below the 2013 Leading Edge Award gold, silver, and bronze winners for "Best Private Jet Type," plus hotels and rental cars. For those flights when commercial is required, below are also the award-winning airlines and airports.

Plane Type

Best Private Jet Type:

Gold: Delta Private Jets
Silver: NetJets
Bronze: Flexjet by Bombardier

Best Aircraft Type:

Gold: Boeing 777
Silver: Boeing 747
Bronze: Airbus 380

Hotels

Best Hotel Overall:

Gold: St. Regis
Silver: Ritz-Carlton
Bronze: JW Marriott

Best Hotel Business Travel:

Gold: St. Regis
Silver: Ritz-Carlton
Bronze: JW Marriott

Best Hotel Meeting Facilities:

Gold: St. Regis
Silver: Ritz-Carlton
Bronze: Four Seasons

Best Hotel Customer Service:

Gold: Ritz-Carlton
Silver: St. Regis
Bronze: Four Seasons

Best Hotel Frequent Guest Program

Gold: Starwood
Silver: Marriott
Bronze: Hilton

Rental Car

Best Rental Car Company Overall:

Gold: National
Silver: Enterprise
Bronze: Avis

Best Rental Car Company Vehicle Selection:

Gold: Hertz
Silver: Avis
Bronze: National

Best Rental Car Company Customer Service:

Gold: Enterprise
Silver: Hertz
Bronze: Avis

Best Rental Car Company Value:

Gold: Thrifty
Silver: Enterprise
Bronze: National

Best Rental Car Company Loyalty Program:

Gold: National
Silver: Hertz
Bronze: Avis

Domestic Airlines

Best Domestic Airline Overall:

Gold: Delta
Silver: Southwest
Bronze: JetBlue

Best Domestic Airline Customer Service:

Gold: Southwest
Silver: JetBlue
Bronze: Delta

Best Domestic Airline Airport Lounges:

Gold: Delta
Silver: American
Bronze: JetBlue

Best Domestic Airline Frequent-Flyer Program:

Gold: Delta
Silver: Southwest
Bronze: American

Best Domestic Airline Premium-Class Service:

Gold: Delta
Silver: American
Bronze: JetBlue

International Airlines

Best International Airline Overall:

Gold: Korean
Silver: Singapore
Bronze: Virgin Atlantic

Best International Airline Customer Service:

Gold: Korean
Silver: Virgin Atlantic
Bronze: Singapore

Best International Airline Airport Lounges:

Gold: Singapore
Silver: Korean
Bronze: Virgin Atlantic

Best International Airline Frequent-Flyer Program:

Gold: Korean
Silver: Virgin Atlantic
Bronze: Cathay Pacific

Best International Airline Premium-Class Service:

Gold: Singapore
Silver: Korean
Bronze: Cathay Pacific

Rewards Program

Best Credit Card Rewards Program:

Gold: Membership Rewards Program from American Express
Silver: Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express
Bronze: United Airlines MileagePlus Explorer Visa

Flight Experience Best Flight Experience to Canada:

Gold: Air Canada
Silver: Delta
Bronze: United

Best Flight Experience to Caribbean:

Gold: American
Silver: Delta
Bronze: United

Best Flight Experience to Mexico:

Gold: United
Silver: American
Bronze: Delta

Best Flight Experience to Central/South America:

Gold: American
Silver: Delta
Bronze: United

Best Flight Experience to Europe:

Gold: British Airways
Silver: Delta
Bronze: United

Best Flight Experience to Asia:

Gold: Korean
Silver: Cathay Pacific
Bronze: Singapore

Best Flight Experience to Australia/New Zealand:

Gold: Qantas Airways
Silver: Air New Zealand
Bronze: United

Best Flight Experience to Middle East:

Gold: Emirates
Silver: United
Bronze: Delta

Best Flight Experience to Africa:

Gold: Delta
Silver: South African Airways
Bronze: British Airways

Airports

Best Domestic Airport:

Gold: Houston (George Bush)
Silver: Washington D.C. (Ronald Reagan)
Bronze: Newark and Salt Lake City (tie)

Best International Airport:

Gold: London (Heathrow)
Silver: Amsterdam (Schiphol)
Bronze: Singapore (Changi)

back top