Delta Air Lines and Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. were honored at the 26th Annual Freddie Awards with an Industry Impact Award for introducing Crossover Rewards with Starwood Hotels. Freddie Awards founder Randy Petersen created the award named for Sir Freddie Laker in honor of his accomplishments in marketing travel during the 1970s to recognize airline, hotel and credit card loyalty programs for their efforts each year.  

Recognized as an industry-first, Crossover Rewards is a comprehensive partnership offering exclusive benefits to Delta SkyMiles Medallion members and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) elite members. Crossover Rewards allows select Delta and Starwood elite members to receive shared benefits such as late checkout and free in-room Internet for hotel stays as well as a free checked bag and Priority Boarding for air travel in addition to earning points in both programs whether flying or spending the night. With flights to more than 300 destinations and hubs in markets like Tokyo, Paris, New York Cityand Atlanta, Delta's global reach complements Starwood's worldwide hotel footprint including nine hotel brands in 100 countries around the world.

"Delta and Starwood forged an outstanding partnership that enabled us to extend the benefits of loyalty beyond our customers' seats and outside their hotel rooms with a revolutionary new program in Crossover Rewards," said Jeff Robertson, vice president – SkyMiles. "We're pleased to be recognized for an innovative concept that changed the way an entire industry thinks about rewarding customers."

"Through Crossover Rewards a friend of Delta's is a friend of ours and vice versa," said Chris Holdren, senior vice president of Starwood Preferred Guest. "Our similar philosophies and spirit of innovation allowed our teams to create a program that ensures our guests and their passengers who fly Delta and stay Starwood  are recognized for their loyalty throughout their entire trip, deepening our relationships with our most valuable guests."

The annual awards ceremony closed with the announcement of the Delta Flight Museum as the location for the 2015 Freddie Awards which will be held in Atlanta on Thursday, April 30, 2015. Currently in the final phase of a more than $8.4 million renovation project the museum will be one of the premier event venues in the southeastern U.S. The museum is scheduled to open in June and will accommodate private events for groups of up to 1,200 for a seated meal service. The museum will feature a full-motion 737-200 flight simulator, 'The Spirit of Delta' Boeing 767 purchased by Delta employees in 1982 for $30 million as a gift to the company, and other exhibits that chronicle the history of aviation. Additional information is available at deltamuseum.org.

The iconic "Freddie" trophy has been awarded to some of the most respected travel loyalty programs throughout the world. The obelisk-shaped statuette is a symbol of excellence and respected voice of the frequent traveler from an industry of more than 300 million frequent flyers worldwide.

Delta recently introduced a new mileage earning structure and redemption options for SkyMiles members. Members can access the U.S. Award chart online at delta.com/skymiles2015 which will be effective for new Award Tickets booked beginning Jan. 1, 2015. Customers will continue to have access to every seat on every Delta flight as an Award seat with no blackout dates.