Friday, November 4, 2011

World's Best Airlines 2011

By Robert Nickel


Every year Skytrax holds the World Airline Awards, an event resulting from passenger surveys conducted through more than 18 million interviews all over the globe. Skytrax is completely independent from any airline or travel authority, operating as a not-for profit entity. Only real customers reviews are used and airlines do not ask or subscribe to be a part of the survey. Whichever airlines the interviewees bring up, those are the ones included on the survey list. There are no third party sponsorship deals either. With such a transparent methodology, the World Airline Awards are coveted by every airline in existence.

The World Airline Awards were held at the French Air and Space Museum in Paris, France in 2011. As a part of the annual Paris Air Show, the ceremony was well attended by parties from all parts of the world. The top airline as per passenger surveys was awarded to Qatar Airways based in Doha, Qatar. They also received the Best Middle East Airline award and World's Best First Class Airline Lounge designation. Qatar Airways clearly hits the high mark when it comes to international airlines.

Air Asia was chosen as the World's Best Low-Cost Airline for 2011, ultimately for its combined superiority in service and product. Passenger reviews showed Air Asia to be in a superior class when it came to customer satisfaction, despite a no-frills description. This achievement is not new, the airline received the same award in 2009 and 2010 as well. According to a 2010 Forbes Magazine article, Air Asia has the world's lowest operating costs. Even more so since implementing a completely ticketless system, the first of its kind in Asia.

According to passenger surveys, the World's Best Leisure Airline for 2011 is Thomson Airways based in Britain. Although Thomson is a charter airline, they do operate scheduled flights from the UK and Ireland to destinations all over the world. Having won the same award in 2010, Thomson has definitely set a standard in the air travel industry. Passengers report their experiences with Thomson as exceptional, both in service and ambience.

The World's Best Airlines list for 2011 includes many more names than the three mentioned above. There are designations for the best airline according to cabin, region and staff service. Every category is meticulously judged by non-biased passengers, and therefore offers a strong element of truth to passenger survey outcomes. When booking overseas flights, look for flights with airlines in Skytrax world's best lists for the most positive travel experience.




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