Skytrax Awards (Reviews)
The reduction in hospitality, incentive trips and corporate events has undoubtedly added to the woes of the global airline industry. However, reductions aside we know that our readers continue to fly to get business done given that the events industry spans a global marketplace particularly in the sectors of film, fashion and live music. Bob Kang scans the 2009 arrivals board (20 Apr'09)
So who are we flying with - and why? Skytrax helped answer this question with its recent World Airline Survey. The annual World Airline Awards have become an airline industry hallmark of independent service review and they form the culmination of an 11-month survey of over 15 million airline passengers across the globe.
The airline industry has always been far-sighted in adversity and the Skytrax World Airline Awards highlight the innovative ways in which major airlines stamp their quality benchmarks on a volatile industry. This year saw Skytrax celebrate its tenth anniversary with around 500 people attending the 2009 Awards ceremony in Hamburg. We spoke to some of the winners.
Cathay Pacific Airways ____________
Airline of the Year 
First Class on board Cathay Pacific
This year saw Cathay Pacific take the Airline of the Year title from Singapore Airlines. Clearly, its attention to premium
travellers and positive customer reaction to its First Class cabin designs, introduced two years ago, has brought dividends.
The airline introduced new cabin designs into all three classes of travel across its entire medium and long-haul fleet and expects 86
aircraft to be revamped by the end of 2012.
What they said:
Tony Tyler, CEO - Cathay Pacific
"We are delighted to once again be named Airline of the Year in the Skytrax awards.
"This award is very meaningful because it was voted for by the travelling public and it's a real tribute to the dedication and professionalism shown by our whole team.
"At Cathay Pacific we have worked hard to develop a world-class international network from our Hong Kong home, offering passengers top-notch products and the best service in the air, and it's very pleasing to receive this kind of global recognition."
British Airways _________________
Best Transatlantic Airline
With the troublesome launch of Terminal 5 becoming a distant memory British Airways now has more than 250 flight departures from the gleaming facility.
Touches such as the large Elemis Travel Spas at Terminal 5 and at New York's JFK have helped British Airways retain the award for Best Transatlantic Airline which it also won last year.
Skytrax's recognition of the airline's strength on the transatlantic sector follows last year's OpenSkies launch which allows British Airways to fly from continental Europe to the US for the first time.
What they said:
Willie Walsh, Chief Executive - British Airways
“We are delighted to have been voted Best Transatlantic Airline by air travellers in this year's Skytrax survey. It is testament to all the hard work from our team at British Airways.
"British Airways' launch of 'OpenSkies' offers guests superior service, competitive fares and exceptional value. We very much hope our transatlantic services continue to top the polls and that OpenSkies will lead the way for new routes under the EU-US aviation agreement.”
Virgin Atlantic _____________________________________________
Best Business Class Lounge - London Heathrow
For the fourth year running Virgin Atlantic has won the Best Business Class Lounge Award for its flagship Clubhouse at Heathrow Airport.
The airline also collected the Best Premium Economy Class Award for its Premium Economy cabin.
Its Heathrow Clubhouse is choc full of pre-flight experiences ranging from haircuts in the Bumble and bumble salon to a number of Cowshed treatments or a film screening in the cinema.
What they said:
Edmond Rose, Director of Commercial and Revenue Planning - Virgin Atlantic
“We’re thrilled that our Heathrow Clubhouse and Premium Economy class have won these important awards. Winning the Best Business Class Lounge four years in a row is a stunning achievement and proves that the Clubhouse at Heathrow is a real hit with passengers and has no equal.
“Virgin Atlantic was the first airline to introduce Premium Economy back in the early nineties and winning this award proves that we are still ahead of the game when it comes to providing something for business travellers on a budget or leisure travellers looking for a little extra luxury.”
Emirates ____________________________________________________
Best Inflight Entertainment
Emirates ice system on board its Boeing 777-300 aircraft
Emirates' dominance in this area sees it win the award for the fifth consecutive year. The airline’s ice (information, communication and entertainment) and ice Digital systems entertained passengers in droves once again. Its ice Digital widescreen claims to offer the largest wide-screen televisions in the airline world and more than 60% of Emirates fleet carries ice or ice Digital.
Emirates pioneered inflight mobile phone technology making it the first such service to be launched by any airline in the world. Ice was launched in 2003 bringing passengers more than 600 channels of multilingual entertainment. Other inflight features include seatback SMS and email services and live text news updates throughout the flight. "My Playlist" allows flyers to create personal music compilations from nearly 10,000 tracks of available music.
What they said:
Patrick Brannelly, Vice President Passenger Communications and Visual Services - Emirates
“To win this award for the fifth consecutive year is a fantastic achievement, proving yet again that Emirates’ significant investment in the inflight entertainment product is appreciated by our customers. We also make significant investments in the latest technology to ensure our passengers enjoy not only the widest range of entertainment, but also the capacity to communicate with family and friends on the ground.
“Launching ice Digital Widescreen is another example of how Emirates continually enhances its inflight technology and product offering. The ongoing aim following this latest success is to keep improving the technology and content to provide passengers with the industry’s best inflight entertainment system.”
AIRLINE OF THE YEAR Cathay Pacific
BEST CABIN STAFF Malaysia Airlines
BEST FIRST CLASS Singapore Airlines
BEST BUSINESS CLASS Etihad Airways
BEST ECONOMY CLASS Qatar Airways
BEST LOW-COST AIRLINE Air Asia
FIRST CLASS LOUNGE Thai Airways
BUSINESS CLASS LOUNGE Virgin Atlantic
TRANSPACIFIC AIRLINE Asiana Airlines
RK _________________________________________