Alaska Airlines has secured the top spot among air carriers in the Americas for Best Rewards Program. The honor was given by the FlyerTalk Awards, an online community focused on frequent traveler interests. In years’ past, the top honor went to American Airline’s AAdvantage program, which came in second in this year’s awards voting. AAdvantage is still among the best, having won the same honor for the past 5 years in a row.

FlyerTalk voters noted no real surprise that Alaska Airlines overtook American this year, citing continued improvement to Alaska’s Mileage Plan in each year of voting. What gave Alaska a clear edge with this frequent traveler voting base was the fact that its Mileage Plan remains distance-based, as the airline has chosen to not follow the industry trend of switching to a revenue-based model for accruing rewards.

FlyerTalk Awards voting is open to active members (dubbed “FlyTalkers”) and allows votes for up to 4 programs in each category. Adding to the intrigue, votes are weighted – so a first-place vote carries more clout than a second-place vote.