THAI Ranks 5th As World’s Best Airline In 2011

[webfact]

THAI ranks 5th as World’s Best Airline in 2011

BANGKOK, 25 June 2011 (NNT) – Thai Airways International (THAI) has been ranked fifth as the World’s Best Airline of the Year and has received several other prizes at the 2011 World Airline Award arranged by Skytrax, the world’s largest airline rating service.

The awards were given in a ceremony held at the French Air and Space Museum during the 2011 Paris Air Show, following votes from over 18.8 million airline passengers from 100 different nationalities.

While THAI is ranked fifth as the World’s Best Airline, the champion is Qatar Airways from Qatar. The first, second and third runners-up are Singapore Airlines from Singapore, Asiana Airlines from South Korea and Cathay Pacific Airways from Hong Kong respectively.

THAI also wins other awards, including winner of the World's Best Economy Class Airline Catering for Product Quality, winner of the World's Best Economy Class Airline Seat award, second place for Best Airline Ground Services category and second place for First Class lounge at Bangkok Airport.

Meanwhile, Bangkok Airways wins the third place as the Best Regional Airline Asia category.

Skytrax said in its website that the awards are the most prestigious and respected quality recognition of front-line product and service standards across the world airline industry. The awards reflect customer satisfaction levels across 38 different items of airline front-line product and service.

-- NNT 2011-06-25

[Thaddeus]

http://simpliflying.com/2011/why-skytrax-is-dead-plus-7-insights-into-the-future-of-airline-brand-ratings/

Has some valid points.

[apetley]

This is not my own opinion but that of my Thai wife. She has flown Thai a few times betwen BKK and LHR and after the last flight vowed never to use them again. Old planes, poor IFE and seating, terrible food and poor service are her reasons. Those ranked below 5th must be utterly appalling if her experience is accurate.

[TheWalkingMan]

My last flight on Thai was from Narita. Old 747 or 777 without individual tv screens for us people in economy. Crappy 6 hour flight.

They must place these surveys, as maybe all do, on their best planes.

Has anyone here ever completed one of those surveys?

TheWalkingMan

[whybother]

My last flight on Thai was from Narita. Old 747 or 777 without individual tv screens for us people in economy. Crappy 6 hour flight.

They must place these surveys, as maybe all do, on their best planes.

Has anyone here ever completed one of those surveys?

TheWalkingMan

It's SkyTrax that do the surveys, not the airports or airlines.

[Guest]

Fifth WORSE airline IMO.

[PEP]

Fifth WORSE airline IMO.

"Think outside the square". There was possibly only six airlines in the ratings therefore fifth best is about right. Anyone but "Blind Freddie" would not even give Thaiairways a single vote for any aspect of their service.

[Rooo]

Always fly Thai & Singapore. You have good & bad flights on any airline, they all have their good & bad days.

[hgma]

Flew with Thai on a yearly basis back in the early 2000

terrible decline of service but farmore attitude.

until this March.....i got my sister (handicapt) on a connecting flight with Thai.

back and forth......

First class service....great care.....fantastic.

My sister was over the moon.........intercontinental flights i dont know

[whybother]

Fifth WORSE airline IMO.

"Think outside the square". There was possibly only six airlines in the ratings therefore fifth best is about right. Anyone but "Blind Freddie" would not even give Thaiairways a single vote for any aspect of their service.

A few more than 6.

Voted by over 18.8 million airline passengers from 100 different nationalities, the World Airline Awards™ are the most prestigious and respected quality recognition of front-line product and service standards across the world airline industry. With 200 airlines featured, the awards reflect customer satisfaction levels across 38 different items of airline front-line product and service.

http://www.worldairlineawards.com/

[Bkkorupcountry]

Remind me to never believe anything that Skytrax reports.

[swifty5x5]

If they had paid a few more bhat they could have been #1.

[kalbo123]

So they are better then Lufthansa, Air France, KLM all American airlines etc.. they must be blind or on drugs at Sky trax.

[whybother]

So they are better then Lufthansa, Air France, KLM all American airlines etc.. they must be blind or on drugs at Sky trax.

Don't shoot the messenger.

[moe666]

No problem being better than an airline from The states. I refuse to fly any US airline on international flights and I am from the US.

[CharlieH]

"This is not my own opinion but that of my Thai wife. She has flown Thai a few times betwen BKK and LHR and after the last flight vowed never to use them again. Old planes, poor IFE and seating, terrible food and poor service are her reasons. Those ranked below 5th must be utterly appalling if her experience is accurate"

Agree with this 100% , in my opinion the worst airline, staff, facilities and service I have ever encountered.

The only way they could come 5th is they either PAID someone or there were only 5 in the comparison.

Edited June 25, 2011 by CharlieH

[Rooo]

I refuse to fly Qantas & BA, stuck up crew, same as Emirates.

[Crushdepth]

If you think Thai is bad, try China Air. It will help give you a bit of perspective.

[NanLaew]

So they are better then Lufthansa, Air France, KLM all American airlines etc.. they must be blind or on drugs at Sky trax.

THAI trumps Luftwaffe in coach on seat-pitch, comfort and catering on MATCHING legacy 747's to London and/or Frankfurt.

THAI trumps Frog Air on same criteria although there is a better aircraft and IFE... if that turns your crank. Unfortunately, you still end up in CDG.... sorry.

THAI trumps the Cloggies too although the retrofit of the old 747's to Amsterdam and introduction of the 'Premium' coach section is a bonus. Schiphol.... another bonus!

There's absolutely NO carrier from the US that is in the same league, sorry.

Nice to see that Emirates and Etihad got the elbow.

[CrustyJuggler66]

Obviously paid Skytrax under the table with all the profit made during the Japanese earthquake crises.

[Lifer]

Obviously paid Skytrax under the table with all the profit made during the Japanese earthquake crises.

It's my opinion that you may find that these airlines find a way to pad the palms of the rating agency to get ratings. I remember a while back that an investigative report reported that the restaurant and hotel industry (not Thailand)was supplying remuneration in cash or perks to get five star ratings. I do believe that the airline rating depend on a lot of criteria that needs to be evaluated before we can figure out why Thai got the rating they did. I know that when I flew Thai International in the late 1990's and early 2000's, Thai was excellent in all categories, always competing with Singapore and Malaysian Airlines.

[Kalbo]

My last flight on Thai was from Narita. Old 747 or 777 without individual tv screens for us people in economy. Crappy 6 hour flight.

They must place these surveys, as maybe all do, on their best planes.

Has anyone here ever completed one of those surveys?

TheWalkingMan

I fly between Bangkok , Nagoya, Bangalore and Chennai about twice a month, only using Thai. I have no complaints at all with them. They get a thumbs up from me

[tombkk]

This is not my own opinion but that of my Thai wife. She has flown Thai a few times betwen BKK and LHR and after the last flight vowed never to use them again. Old planes, poor IFE and seating, terrible food and poor service are her reasons. Those ranked below 5th must be utterly appalling if her experience is accurate.

TG is aware that they lost many passengers (especially to Europe) due to their old seats and IFE. I was at a luncheon last week were the managing director spoke quite frankly about the problems and the solutions. All seats will have personal screens (also in economy), and in addition to retrofitting the seats (which should be completed within less than a year), of course they will retire many of their aircraft and replace them with news ones.

The order in which the seats are replaced depends on the kind of aircraft, so it is difficult to me to see what seat I will get on the next flight. I won't take my chances but consider TG again once the seat and IFE problem (which is my pet peeve) is solved.

I find food and service on TG not bad.

[aguy30]

My last flight on Thai was from Narita. Old 747 or 777 without individual tv screens for us people in economy. Crappy 6 hour flight.

They must place these surveys, as maybe all do, on their best planes.

Has anyone here ever completed one of those surveys?

TheWalkingMan

I fly between Bangkok , Nagoya, Bangalore and Chennai about twice a month, only using Thai. I have no complaints at all with them. They get a thumbs up from me

My experiences with Thai have been mixed. Occasionally had a newer aircraft with updated in flight equipment. Usually it is older and outdated. Especially true of the 747's. Had one last year must that must have been more than 20 years old and not a piece of the business class interior has ever been upgraded. Some very old and extremely shabby planes. Business class seats wouldn't even qualify as coach on a new plane, today. Most of Thai's 747's seem to be at least 5 years past when they should have been upgraded.Still have many 747s with no individual TV's in business. (amazing Thailand, for sure). I rate the typical meals from bad to good, but NEVER very good. I was much more impressed by Thai about 5 years ago and before. Planes used for Bali and Manila are some of the industries worst for big name airlines. Service has declined and is not what it was years ago. At best, Thai is in the middle of the pack.No better than United,American, Philippine Air and MANY others. One more thing, Thai has some of the highest fares in the industry.

Maybe some new slogans of "We're Thai, don't expect very much for the high fares we charge" and "we aren't as good as we used to be, get used to it" would be appropriate.

Edited June 25, 2011 by aguy30

[ginjag]

Remind me to never believe anything that Skytrax reports.

Agree with you-Bkk-----Sorry but this must be a big joke, and I'm NOT Thai bashing.

In a recent topic on Thai orders for a number of new aircraft..and reading further on it is delaying most because they do not have cash.

This 5th best is ridiculous as the jumbo's on the long haul are so old some of the oldest flying..sure.

it 's prices are way over the top, most planes have NOT been updated, individual screens for starters. I do now travel-Etihad-Emirates-Eva-Singapore-New Zealand-Cathay-many with A380's, there MUST be 20 Top airlines that HAVE to come before Thai!!!! Had this been in 5 years time with its new planes and comforts I could have said -'Possible' at this time NEVER

[Bkkorupcountry]

Remind me to never believe anything that Skytrax reports.

Agree with you-Bkk-----Sorry but this must be a big joke, and I'm NOT Thai bashing.

In a recent topic on Thai orders for a number of new aircraft..and reading further on it is delaying most because they do not have cash.

This 5th best is ridiculous as the jumbo's on the long haul are so old some of the oldest flying..sure.

it 's prices are way over the top, most planes have NOT been updated, individual screens for starters. I do now travel-Etihad-Emirates-Eva-Singapore-New Zealand-Cathay-many with A380's, there MUST be 20 Top airlines that HAVE to come before Thai!!!! Had this been in 5 years time with its new planes and comforts I could have said -'Possible' at this time NEVER

We disagree over at the political threads but at least we agree here

I fly TG almost every week but that's because I'm based in Bkk and logistically, it makes most sense and the airmiles help. There are some good flights and some really poor ones. Food is mediocre as is the service, even on business class (what, just one small tiny bag of almonds???). The business class lounge in Suvanabhumi is a complete joke though the free massages are great.

I'm yet to experience business class A380 on EK but friends tell me that it's absolutely the bees knees, especially the bar at the back

[hellodolly]

I have often flown business class from Chiang Mai to Bangkok return. There Business lounge in Bangkok is excelent.

If they could get a hold of the person in charge of that and make him in charge of the same amenities on there air planews it would be worth considering them for the number five or higher spot.

With the cost of there fares there is no reason for shabby out dated seats. The interior of the planes always seemed dirty to me. If it were a house it would have been repainted at least twice.

I don't know how they stack up price wise for international flights but they wanted about 300 Baht less than Air Asia for a trip we were planning to Krabi from Chiang Mai.

Problem being there price was one way where as Air Asia was return.

[ginjag]

Remind me to never believe anything that Skytrax reports.

Agree with you-Bkk-----Sorry but this must be a big joke, and I'm NOT Thai bashing.

In a recent topic on Thai orders for a number of new aircraft..and reading further on it is delaying most because they do not have cash.

This 5th best is ridiculous as the jumbo's on the long haul are so old some of the oldest flying..sure.

it 's prices are way over the top, most planes have NOT been updated, individual screens for starters. I do now travel-Etihad-Emirates-Eva-Singapore-New Zealand-Cathay-many with A380's, there MUST be 20 Top airlines that HAVE to come before Thai!!!! Had this been in 5 years time with its new planes and comforts I could have said -'Possible' at this time NEVER

We disagree over at the political threads but at least we agree here

I fly TG almost every week but that's because I'm based in Bkk and logistically, it makes most sense and the airmiles help. There are some good flights and some really poor ones. Food is mediocre as is the service, even on business class (what, just one small tiny bag of almonds???). The business class lounge in Suvanabhumi is a complete joke though the free massages are great.

I'm yet to experience business class A380 on EK but friends tell me that it's absolutely the bees knees, especially the bar at the back

Good stuff, nice to talk, not flown for ages with Thai, although I am a member----Oh how I miss having them almonds,:lol: agree the non Europe flights with the leased 777's and domestic airbus O.K.

[londonthai]

good on them, I like their service, however they were not polite to my wife (so she says), when she travelled alone.

I try to fly with them, whenever I can get a good fare. With their silver card I get 10kg extra luggage and can fly directly from lhr. IFE doesn't bother me at all, as I try to sleep as much as I can.

I did fly many times with lufthansa, AF/KLM and did not like them, they were waking me up for small reasons

Edited June 25, 2011 by londonthai

[Atmos]

classic forum behaviour - of course 18.8 million people can be wrong!

2011 World Airline Awards

Voted by over

18.8 million airline passengers

from

100 different nationalities

, the World Airline Awards™ are the most prestigious and respected quality recognition of front-line product and service standards across the world airline industry. With

200 airlines

featured, the awards reflect customer satisfaction levels across 38 different items of airline front-line product and service.

AirAsia

retained their crown as the World's Best Low-Cost Airline