Survey
firm Skytrax announced the 2016 World Airline Awards earlier today in England.
There were few surprises at this year’s event, which was held at the
famous
Farnborough Airshow. Emirates was named the World’s Best Airline, with the
Dubai-based carrier improving from a fifth place finish last year, overtaking
2015 winner (and Gulf rival) Qatar Airways.
No
surprises at the top
For
the past decade, Emirates, Qatar and this year’s third and fourth place finishers,
Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific, have traded the top spot in the annual
survey. ANA rounded out this year’s top five, jumping up two places from 2015's
rankings.
Airline
ratings are released by different sources throughout the year. The Skytrax
awards are considered the gold standard because the results are based on
extensive worldwide surveying of airline passengers. No other ranking uses such
a wide pool of data.
In
addition to the overall rankings, Skytrax ranks airlines according to their
quality in different categories. For example, Emirates also won an award for
World’s Best In-Flight Entertainment. The airline performed well in the First,
Business and Economy Class Cabin rankings as well.
Customer-friendly
airlines perform better
Emirates
President Tim Clark touted the survey-created results as evidence of his
airline’s customer friendliness. “We listen carefully to our customers, and
then relentlessly challenge ourselves to deliver and exceed expectations. The
fact that these awards are based on the direct feedback from passengers is
gratifying and wonderful recognition for all of the hard work that’s gone into
creating the Emirates experience.”
Norwegian,
AirAsia win in low cost carrier categories
Some
of the newer categories earned a lot of attention this year. It is hard to
compare the full service carriers like Emirates and Cathay with low cost
carriers like Norwegian and Southwest. Norwegian was named the World’s Best
Long Haul Low Cost Carrier, beating out an ever-expanding field of airlines.
The carrier was also named Europe’s Best Low Cost Airline, topping industry
heavies like Ryanair and easyJet, both of which have been attempting to improve
their service over the past year.
AirAsia
took the prize for World’s Best Low Cost Airline. It is the eighth consecutive
year that the Malaysian carrier has taken the top spot in the category.
VIrgin
America dominates in the United States
As
usual, airlines from North America lagged behind their peers from Europe, the
Middle East and the Asia Pacific. Virgin America was named North America’s Best
Airline. In fact, the carrier, which was recently auctioned off to Alaska
Airlines, swept the major categories for the continent, winning Best Airline,
Best Low Cost Airline and Best Airline Staff for North America.
President
and CEO David Cush might have indirectly made a pitch for Alaska to keep the
Virgin brand intact when he spoke about his airline's success: “This
distinction is a testament to our approximately 3,000 teammates who are so
passionate about their work. Thanks to them, over the past nine years, we’ve
been able to revolutionize the industry and create an airline that people
actually love flying.”
In
the overall rankings, Virgin America came in 25 place. Delta was 35, Alaska
Airlines was 60, United 68 and American 77. Meanwhile, JetBlue (53) beat out
rival Southwest (66).
Delta
shows improvement
Delta
jumped 10 places compared to last year’s rankings, which was one of the 2016
survey’s biggest improvements. The airline has focused on improving its
customer service and its on-time percentage over the past few years. The survey
results prove what industry insiders have been thinking: Delta is several years
ahead of United and American in terms of development.
In
addition to the annual awards, Skytrax has a star rating system that awards
airlines between one and five stars based on their overall quality. The firm
also performs a survey for airports. The World Airport Awards take place in the
springtime each year.
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