World's Best Airline Named At Annual Awards

[Kan Win]

from The Age

Craig Platt

April 6, 2009 - 12:59PM

Cathay Pacific has edged out Singapore Airlines to be named the world's best airline in the annual Skytrax awards.

Qantas slipped from its position as the world's third best, but stayed in the top 10 at number six.

The annual Skytrax awards are among the most highly regarded in the industry, with the results based on surveys of more than 16 million air passengers conducted over eight months.

Skytrax chief executive Edward Plaisted praised Cathay for its performance, pointing out that the airline has won the award three times in the last ten years.

"A factor behind the Cathay Pacific win is clearly the consistency of product and service that they provide to their customers," he said. "Not only are Cathay Pacific satisfying their passengers onboard flights, but the ratings they achieved for their airport operations in Hong Kong also played a considerable part in this success".

Malaysia Airlines was awarded for the world's best cabin staff, the sixth time the airline has won the award in the past ten years.

Singapore Airlines won for best first class, Etihad for best business class and Qatar for best economy class.

In the southern hemisphere, Qantas was named best airline Australasia with the best low cost airline Australasia award going to Jetstar. AirAsia won best low-cost airline overall.

"AirAsia is not only one of the pioneering low cost airlines in Asia, but also the first pure low cost to launch long haul operations (having recently started flying between Malaysia and the UK) and many will be watching this carefully to see if such transformation can be successful" said Plaisted.

Qantas's first class lounge at Sydney Airport was named the world's second best, after Thai Airways lounge in Bangkok.

Airline of the Year 2009

1. Cathay Pacific

2. Singapore Airlines

3. Asiana Airlines

4. Qatar Airways

5. Emirates

6. Qantas

7. Etihad Airways

8. Air New Zealand

9. Malaysia Airlines

10. Thai Airways

Best cabin staff

1. Malaysia Airlines

2. Asiana Airlines

3. Thai Airways

4. Singapore Airlines

5. Cathay Pacific

Best in-flight entertainment

1. Emirates

2. Singapore Airlines

3. Virgin Atlantic

4. Cathay Pacific

5. Qatar Airways

Best first class

1. Singapore Airlines

2. Emirates

3. Qatar Airways

4. Cathay Pacific

5. Thai Airways

Best business class

1. Etihad Airways

2. Singapore Airlines

3. Virgin Atlantic

4. British Airways

5. Air New Zealand

Best economy class

1. Qatar Airways

2. Asiana Airlines

3. Air New Zealand

4. Singapore Airlines

5. Malaysia Airlines

-----------------------------------

Yours truly,

Kan Win

[geriatrickid]

Qantas's first class lounge at Sydney Airport was named the world's second best, after Thai Airways lounge in Bangkok.

It would help if the people voting actually flew on the airlines or visited the lounges. The TG lounge is pathetic when compared to the SQ lounge in SIN. Something is definitely wonky with this. Also odd that EVA doesn't rate a mention as an airline. One need only read the travel forums in TV to get a good idea of the accuracy of skytrax (and inherent polling bias). TV forums say much the same thing as the results but with a positive view on EVA.

[bkkjames]

although it has built up a good name, for my tastes, it appears they err on the side of making the best airlines happy to facilitate ongoing subscriptions to their reports / audits.

WORLD AIRLINE AUDIT

SKYTRAX began the World Airline Audit in 1990, to offer a professional, global quality evaluation programme for airline "front-line" product and service standards.

It is the industry's premier product and service quality audit programme, and has been operated on an annual basis by Skytrax for over 15 years.

The Audit evaluates all aspects of an airline's "front-line" product and service delivery quality performance - across airport and onboard environments.

Qualitative evaluation and performance analysis is applied across all research features, ensuring that Audit processes deliver the highest degree of accuracy and consistency.

Ground service analysis includes airline website operations / facilities, airport ticketing, check-in, security, lounges, boarding, departures, transfer, arrivals and corporate branding - all being evaluated by Skytrax Audit team specialists.

Onboard service comprises analysis of all product and service delivery elements - core product standards, service efficiency and the critical factors of final staff service delivery.

World Airline Audits apply a rigorous evaluation methodology, with all studies and advisory reporting by experienced, aviation specialists - a core benefit of the Skytrax service. We do not use a generalised market research approach for this specialist sector, and all Skytrax staff are airline industry "experts", fully aware of the financial pressures and conditions affecting airlines throughout the world.

World Airline Audit research offers cost-effective and clearly tangible benefits to every airline. Learning that service weakness prevails or that "delivered" products are not matching "designed" quality targets is not of benefit to the airline on it's own. An airline needs effective solutions for achieving change, and policies to maintain quality improvement.

This is where Skytrax provides an unrivalled knowledge of "workable" change solutions ..... integrated to all forms of product change / development, and front-line service delivery. Airline Audit studies analyse every product or service weakness, and apply a complex "cause, effect and remedy" solution.

Skytrax are renowned for delivering a unique, and unrivalled level of accuracy for all front-line service quality assessments.

COMPETITIVE PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

Every aspect of an airline's front-line quality is evaluated and quantified on both a stand-alone, and competitive performance basis - against selected airlines.

This is critical, not only to gain clearest understanding where standards can, or need to be improved, but to maintain momentum of quality change and improvement within the airline.

The stand-alone analysis of the airline, evaluates product and service standards against a variety of different quality measures:

against Skytrax Quality Benchmarking systems

against considered airline potential quality levels

against airline target quality levels

AUDIT REPORTS

Each year, Skytrax compile a series of Audit Report studies, based around Competitive Performance analysis across a central core of approximately 85 airlines. The annual reports currently in publication include:

World First Class

World Business Class

World Economy Class

European Business Class

Low-Cost Airlines

[LeungKen]

I dropped by to see where "1 2 Go" were placed....

and I can't find any mention of them....................

[think_too_mut]

Qantas's first class lounge at Sydney Airport was named the world's second best, after Thai Airways lounge in Bangkok.

It would help if the people voting actually flew on the airlines or visited the lounges. The TG lounge is pathetic when compared to the SQ lounge in SIN. Something is definitely wonky with this. Also odd that EVA doesn't rate a mention as an airline. One need only read the travel forums in TV to get a good idea of the accuracy of skytrax (and inherent polling bias). TV forums say much the same thing as the results but with a positive view on EVA.

It must be hard to do.

The flaw, I guess, is in who they survey.

For example, a middle age couple from UK Midland flies first time in their life, it happens to be a holiday package with Thai Airways, get that survey and rate how happy they were about things. Since that's all they know (or may know junk low cost airlines to Spain), excited, they would rate everything in top marks since they know no better.

Another example, get 200 Russian packaged tourists on an old B747 that flies the Moscow route and they will rate it better than anything from Aeroflot, if they knew that much in the first place.

I got Thai Airways survey 2 times in 3 months - but only on 1-2 years, brand new planes. Never on old planes. Don't know if that's what they feed into SkyTrax. I have never heard of SkyTrax doing an autonomous survey. In the go-go years when I clocked 1.2 million miles on both OneWorld and StarAlliance, SkyTrax never made their survey request to me or to anyone I know.

To really make it indicative (although constant presence of Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines would not change much regardless) they would need to get an approval from frequent flyers who are members of 2 or more mileage clubs. Then, contact them, pay 100$ for their time and get their response. I don't believe Thai Airways would ever come among first 50. Neither would Qantas make it among first 10. United, NorthWest, American, US Airways would not make it before Biman Bangladesh.

[bkkjames]

Ken, look harder mate, they seem to have awards for everyone.

1-2 Go won 'only airline to Trat' or something like that.

[think_too_mut]

Ken, look harder mate, they seem to have awards for everyone.

1-2 Go won 'only airline to Trat' or something like that.

Impossible. Bangkok Airways owns that airport, only they fly to Trat.

Maybe - Trad?

[flightcrew1]

I agree. While I'm happy Etihad won best business class, since I work for them, I'm also surprised. It's a great product, but surprised that we beat Singapore Airlines. The surveys are certainly biased and "think_to_mut" right on the money with his comments.

[bkkjames]

Ken, look harder mate, they seem to have awards for everyone.

1-2 Go won 'only airline to Trat' or something like that.

Impossible. Bangkok Airways owns that airport, only they fly to Trat.

Maybe - Trad?

Sorry, from now on I will put the word (sarcastic) after each point when I am trying to be (sarcastic).

[Patong Bob]

If Jetstar wins best anything the survey is obviously flawed.

[bkkjames]

If Jetstar wins best anything the survey is obviously flawed.

here you go mate.

Jetstar named Best Low-Cost Airline in Australasia

Monday, 6 April 2009

Jetstar has been named Best Low Cost Airline Australasia by SkyTrax as part of their annual World Airline Survey.

The World Airline Survey is regarded as the primary benchmarking tool for passenger satisfaction levels of airlines throughout the world, with this year’s survey involving more than 15.4 million individual respondents from 95 different nationalities.

Jetstar was named in the 2009 World Airline Survey as:

Best Low Cost Airline – Australasia

Jetstar Chief Executive Officer Bruce Buchanan said the awards were a significant achievement for the airline as it neared its fifth birthday celebrations.

“To be voted the Best Low-Cost Airline – Australasia for the second time in three years demonstrates how much we have achieved to become the leading low cost airline in our region,” Mr Buchanan said.

“Jetstar continues to focus on offering the lowest every day fares for our customers, while delivering the best quality service.

“These highly respected awards are based on direct passenger satisfaction, and are a real testament and true reflection of the hard work of all of our employees.

“Providing a quality product, while keeping fares low, is critically important in this economic climate where people continue to seek value for money,” Mr Buchanan said.

“With passenger initiatives such as Jetstar’s Price Beat Guarantee, we continue to innovate our product offering for the benefit of our customers.”

Jetstar’s Price Beat Guarantee means when booking on Jetstar.com at a similar date or time, Jetstar will beat any competitor by 10 per cent^ (^see Jetstar.com for terms and conditions).

The World Airline Awards are recognised around the world, and renowned for being the only truly global, independent passenger survey of airline standards. The survey does not receive any outside or third-party sponsorship, with all funding of survey costs coming from the Research Division of SkyTrax.

Jetstar has an existing fleet of 40 wide and narrow body aircraft, serving more than 50 destinations through the extension of its brand across Australia, New Zealand and the Asia Pacific region.

The award follows Jetstar’s success in the 2008 SkyTrax awards, ranked third place in World’s Best Low Cost Airline and in second place in Best Low Cost Airline Australia Pacific.

In 2007, Jetstar won the SkyTrax award for World’s Best Low Cost Airline, Best Low Cost Airline – Australia/ Pacific and Best Cabin Staff – Australia/ New Zealand.

Last year Jetstar also received the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) award for Low Cost Airline of the Year in the Asia Pacific region

[fred2007]

I dropped by to see where "1 2 Go" were placed....

and I can't find any mention of them....................

what about Tiger?

[bkkjames]

I dropped by to see where "1 2 Go" were placed....

and I can't find any mention of them....................

what about Tiger?

Sorry, no mentions for 3rd place out 3.

ASIA

Rank

Airline

1

Air Asia

2

Jetstar Asia

3

Tiger Airways

AUSTRALASIA

Rank

Airline

1

Jetstar Airways

2

Virgin Blue

3

Tiger Airways

[tw25rw]

I sometimes find my reviews have been edited or even removed altogether if not entirely positive. I'm not inclined to trust their impartiality.

[Zpete]

I dropped by to see where "1 2 Go" were placed....

and I can't find any mention of them....................

what about Tiger?

Sorry, no mentions for 3rd place out 3.

ASIA

Rank

Airline

1

Air Asia

2

Jetstar Asia

3

Tiger Airways

AUSTRALASIA

Rank

Airline

1

Jetstar Airways

2

Virgin Blue

3

Tiger Airways

Garbage,

AIR ASIA is best, they fly in Australia

[mickmac]

I see that Thai have now got it up on their web-site " Thai earned No.1 ranking in First Class and Business Class service by 2008 Skytrax global survey", not the way I read it they didn't!!

[Zombienation]

I certainly wouldn't have placed Thai in my top 5 for business or first class...

[GeorgeW]

I see that Thai have now got it up on their web-site " Thai earned No.1 ranking in First Class and Business Class service by 2008 Skytrax global survey", not the way I read it they didn't!!

What year does your calendar say? Everyone I see says 2009, not 2008. The announcement on Thai's website has been there for a long time. It is not new.

[h90]

I dropped by to see where "1 2 Go" were placed....

and I can't find any mention of them....................

One place below Austrian Airline and 1 place above LTU.