One in three respondents said that their frequent flier program helps dictate the airline they fly according to results from the 'Determining Travel Preferences in 2009 and Beyond' survey. ^[1]

Respondents from China (49 percent) were the most likely to choose an airline based on their frequent flier program, followed by respondents from Hong Kong (47 percent) and Korea (44 percent).

Not surprisingly, frequent fliers^[2] were more likely to be influenced by airline reward programs (48 percent) than occasional travelers (33 percent).

Meranda Chan, Country Manager for Singapore and Brunei, Visa and PATA Board Director said: "Frequent flier air miles are a valuable way to help bring down the cost of a holiday or to free up some budget to treat yourself while you are away. Getting the most out of every dollar is at the front of people's minds and frequent flier air miles could be just the ticket to keep people on the move."

Tawaina Turner-Dones, Citi's Regional Partnerships Director for Asia Pacific said: "Using accumulated miles can help reduce the cost of a person's next holiday. 

For instance, Citi's PremierMiles™ Visa Card allows cardholders to redeem miles with dozens of frequent flyer programs globally. With most people using cards for their everyday purchases, it is not surprising that they can build sufficient miles to fly from Singapore to Bali and return by simply putting about $150 a week on their card over a year instead of using cash.  Plus, they receive free travel insurance and gain free airport lounge access at the same time."

Additional findings from the ‘Determining Travel Preferences in 2009 and Beyond' survey show that respondents are now looking at shorter breaks (26 percent of respondents spend three to five nights at a destination) and cheaper alternatives (of the 64 percent of respondents were reviewing their plans in the light of economic uncertainty).

Greg Duffell, President and CEO - PATA said: "Travelers can redeem their air miles with the knowledge that they are not breaking the bank to go on holiday. Increasingly, people are becoming aware of the benefits that frequent flier miles can bring. Whether it is upgrading a ticket, trading points for a flight or even using them on non-flight related items such as a hotel stay or city tour, the value of frequent flier programs should not be underestimated."

^[1] Commissioned by Visa and PATA, the Asia Pacific Travel Intentions Survey ‘Determining Travel Preferences in 2009 and Beyond ‘ was an online survey conducted by Synovate from 7 to 28 August 2008.  The survey asked 5,554 respondents from 11 key Asia Pacific travel source markets (Australia, China, Chinese Taipei, France, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States) about past and future travel plans. For each market, respondents were internet users, aged 18 years or above, had travelled for holidays in the past three years or have the intention to do so in 2009 or 2010.

^[2] Those who travel more than three times a year