[Sami]

What I find even stranger is that Skytrax contradicts its own ratings. For example, Royal Air Maroc’s score is 5 out of 10 and yet it’s a 4-star airline up there with 8/10 scorers like Aegean Airlines. Royal Jordanian airlines scores 6/10 but it’s a 3-star airline! The list goes on and on.

[AJDC]

It has been a long held belief by many, that many airlines pay for their ratings. So perhaps Royal Air Maroc paid and Royal Jordanian did not.

[Ahmad]

[quote quote=934706]I think the comments posted by travellers based on their own experiences of an airline on the Skytrax “Airlinequality” site can be quite informative.

Such comments have no place in determining how many stars are awarded, but they can inform a potential traveller as to what they can expect.[/quote]

Can’t agree with you more, provided the comments are posted by genuine travelers and are not filtered or censored. As a personal example, around a decade ago I posted comments on Saudia when I was pleasantly surprised by the service. The comments never made it to the site. With regard to many other airlines I have traveled, the comments do not match my experience. I agree that my experience is limited and restricted to certain routes so may not accurately reflect others’ experience. However, when I started noticing comments about airports and routes I had recently traveled which were completely divorced from reality I began to wonder…

[rferguson]

Some of the comments can be helpful. The majority I find are only useful for entertainment value.

A big factor in my differing views on what weight I give to comments on say Tripadvisor and Skytrax is the right to reply of the service provider.

As I mentioned upthread i’ve read blatant lies on Skytrax. “All they serve on a 7.5hr flights is a cold sandwich’ for example. And the amount of ‘I was late and missed my flight and had to buy a new ticket because I was on the most restricted ticket known to man and it’s ALL the airlines fault so I am awarding them one star’ is just ridiculous. Yet – there doesn’t seem to be the facility for the airlines to reply. ‘Dear XYC on our 7.5hr XXX-YYY flight we actually serve on full three course hot meal and a light snack before landing’. ‘Dear JJJ, unfortunately you purchased a restricted ticket and accepted the terms and conditions upon purchase’.

Tripadvisor allows the hotels/airlines to reply and it’s evident to see that there often is two very different sides to a story. More often than not the replies are a generic sorry/we’ll try do better/ etc. But sometimes you see more detailed responses which pretty much blows the posters claim out of the water.

[Swissdiver]

[quote quote=935157]
Tripadvisor allows the hotels/airlines to reply and it’s evident to see that there often is two very different sides to a story. More often than not the replies are a generic sorry/we’ll try do better/ etc. But sometimes you see more detailed responses which pretty much blows the posters claim out of the water.[/quote]

I can only partially agree. I’ve seen more than once the owner lying to hide a poor performance or a fact he doesn’t want to see communicated. And this is really annoying the honest author of a review (there are many discussions on the topic in the so called Destination Experts threads. Still it is better to give the possibility to answer, but probably the author should be able to cpmment the reply, not in writing (you don’t want this to end up in a “you said I say” thing) but by selecting a few possible boxes (“I disagree”, “Fair”, or something like that).

[FaroFlyer]

Never believe awards, ratings or reviews. Lisbon airport achieved the unusual status of being voted Best airport in the World and also Worst airport in the World in the space of a week.

http://www.theportugalnews.com/news/lisbon-ranked-worlds-best-and-worst-airport-in-the-same-week/49521

Figure that one out:-)

1 user thanked author for this post.

Montysaurus

[rferguson]

I don’t see it on the Skytrax website but it claims Qatar has taken SQ’s crown and won ‘airline of the year’ this year.

BA also won a couple according to an email – Best Airline Staff Service (europe). Most improved airline (europe). Best Cabin Crew (UK).

Donning flak jacket 🙂

[rferguson]

The full 2019 awards and categories can be viewed via here:

World’s Most Improved Airlines 2019

[capetonianm]

Farcical.

[DerekVH]

Alex Cruz stated in a recent interview that…. “these rankings are very unscientific and do not use real customer data. There isn’t a clear, reliable, impartial and fair ranking of airlines around customer service” which I think is a fair comment. He goes on to say “The most important thing is what our customers and colleagues actually tell us every week, from surveys that give us their opinions on their experience with us and whether they’d recommend us. That’s what I care about. I look at those results every Monday night and they have been improving a great deal month on month for the past year so it is very encouraging”

5 users thanked author for this post.

Montysaurus, FaroFlyer, capetonianm, tomwjsimpson, cwoodward

[cwoodward]

Having glanced at winners page kindly linked by ‘rferguson’ the results, as others have mentioned seem to be utter nonsense.
It seems to me that it must have cost Hainan Airlines Group (who are billions of dollars in debt) a bob or two to soar up various rankings from their previous obscurity.

1 user thanked author for this post.

capetonianm

[Inquisitive]

I don’t think any seasoned business traveller make flying decisions based on Skytrax rating, but these ratings are good indicators what to expect.
I travel many longhauls each year with my favourite, but recently choose one mainly because it is 5 star rated by Skytrax and others.

About all these rating agencies, as one poster pointed out, this is business and some people earning a living from this, one may agree or disagree and choose what to do with this facility.

It is similar to many conferences that goes on all over the world. Those who organise and participate they think they are saving the world or helping the next best technical research. Although some of these are so, but majority of these are business.

1 user thanked author for this post.

w8ster

[AFlyingDutchman]

[quote quote=935157]Tripadvisor allows the hotels/airlines to reply and it’s evident to see that there often is two very different sides to a story. More often than not the replies are a generic sorry/we’ll try do better/ etc. But sometimes you see more detailed responses which pretty much blows the posters claim out of the water.[/quote]

As a Hotelier, the problem most of us face with TripAdvisor is anyone can make a review or comment, even if they have never set foot in your hotel. This happens continually, and some hotels even employ peopole to write disparaging reviews of competitors on a regular basis. Booking.com allows reviews but only from those who have booked their stay on Booking.com Being required to prove your stay or trip would be a better way to ensure the review you are reading is genuine.

2 users thanked author for this post.

GivingupBA, cwoodward

[Swissdiver]

[quote quote=944069]

rferguson wrote:

Tripadvisor allows the hotels/airlines to reply and it’s evident to see that there often is two very different sides to a story. More often than not the replies are a generic sorry/we’ll try do better/ etc. But sometimes you see more detailed responses which pretty much blows the posters claim out of the water.

As a Hotelier, the problem most of us face with TripAdvisor is anyone can make a review or comment, even if they have never set foot in your hotel. This happens continually, and some hotels even employ peopole to write disparaging reviews of competitors on a regular basis. Booking.com allows reviews but only from those who have booked their stay on Booking.com Being required to prove your stay or trip would be a better way to ensure the review you are reading is genuine.[/quote]

I think we are comparing apples with pears here. Tripadvisor is not filtering. So it is reliable as long as one is able to skip those obvious fake reviews. Skytrax filters to try to match a possibly preset rating.

[MartynSinclair]

‘Most improved airlines 2019’ – improved against what benchmark…perhaps increase in Skytrax advertising spend verses 2018??

2 users thanked author for this post.

AFlyingDutchman, DerekVH

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