[Anonymous]

[HonestCrew]

Every other week it seems, the BA staff intranet informs us of “yet another” (!) award given to us by such and such. Some I can agree with, others I think “how the heck….?”

As frequent business travellers, which awards do you consider the most prestigious and those airlines in particular should be aiming for?

The awards that show an airline is a cut above the rest.

The awards that can truly allow the back-slapping at Ivory Towers to be deserved.

[LuganoPirate]

I’m afraid HonestCrew I don’t even bother to look anymore. They are very subjective and I think are now an industry excuse for a bit of back slapping and a jolly good knees up! I don’t even bother to fill in the surveys anymore as I think they are a waste of time.

Trouble is when all goes OK the flight is great. When it doesn’t it all goes to pot and the true measure is how the airline handles that. Some handle it well, most do not so unless you’re going to boycott the carrier, and probably inconvenience yourself in the process, you just have to grin and bear it.

Even the worst airline can deliver the best trip ever, and the best can deliver the worst. I’ve a friend who flew Ryanair for €20 all in from Bergamo to Oslo and he said it was almost a party experience on board. I’ve flow PIA and in the past even Nigerian Airways and had fantastic flights. I’ve also flown Lufthansa and BA and had absolutely awful flights from check-in to landing.

So I guess it’s from which perspective you look at it that really counts.

[HonestCrew]

Good points Lugano.
I’m thinking when it comes to overall satisfaction, consistency is the key.

Would, for example, and award from SKYTRAX make you consider flying/trying another airline?

Which awards should an airline be particularly proud to receive?

[MartynSinclair]

I was a little suprised not to see the QF Sydney lounge in the recent BT awards (unless I missed it). One of the forum’s collective joint comments is the QF Sydney lounge is one of the, if not the best.

I tend to value award dinners (in any business) in terms of the value the business puts to their advertisers and the value it wants to give the end user…… i.e. if its the same 6 corporate winners who are the 6 main corporate sponsors, very little notice is taken…..

[LuganoPirate]

Not really Honest. Again it’s purely subjective, voted on by a relatively small number of a particular airlines passengers the majority of which have probably had a reasonable flight. For every one of us who say “Ryanair never” there are likely 99 who would not fly anyone but.

The award which might impress me the most is for how an airline handles a complaint and the speed with which it answers the phone.

[NTarrant]

The only awards I take notice of are those that have been voted for by customers, such at the BT awards.

All transport industries, bus, rail, freey, holidays etc are having awards. I have to agree with LP that it is a bit of self back slapping and really it is only the sponsors and advertisers who are getting much out of it and of course the people who put the awards together as they are not doing it for free.

Whilst I feel that awards which come from customers there is a problem where people who will complete sections which they never go to or have not been for years.

I agree with Martyn about the QF SYD lounge but wonder if that is reflected by the number of respondants that go there.

[BigDog.]

Whilst in agreement that there is both significant vested interest in by the awarding party(ies) and an opportunity for mutual back slapping, I would be influenced by awards.

Not having flown Asiana nor Hainan their 5* Skytrax would certainly influence my choice if I were to fly to Busan, Urumqi or Lhasa, though would also take advice from here and my travel counsellor.

[LuganoPirate]

Thinking about it, I’m more swayed by comments on this forum and to a lesser extent the flight reviews than I am by any industry awards.

[BigDog.]

Telegraph Travel Awards 2012

Tour Operator – Trailfinders
Ski Company – Neilson
Cruise Line – Small: Noble Caledonia; Large :Cunard
Cross Channel Operator – Eurostar
Travel Website – The Man in Seat Sixty-One
Airline Short Haul – 1st British Airways; 2nd Swiss; 3rd Jet2
Airline Long Haul – 1st Singapore; 2nd Emirates; 3rd Air New Zealand

Other awards and 2nd 3rd places in the full article below

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/picturegalleries/9680387/Telegraph-Travel-Awards-2012-readers-favourite-travel-companies.html

I had never heard of the site – The Man in Seat Sixty-One – as it is one for the Train (+Ferry) users, looks very comprehensive though

http://www.seat61.com/

Meanwhile at Wanderlust, the awards include :

Top Airline: 1. Singapore Airlines 2. Oman Air 3. Air New Zealand 4. Emirates 5. Qatar Airways 6. Swiss 7. Asiana Airlines 8. Jet Airways 9. Norwegian 10. Air Asia

Top UK Airport 1. London City 2. Southampton 3. Exeter 4. Birmingham 5. Inverness 6. Jersey 7. Edinburgh 8. Manchester 9. Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield 10. Bristol

Top Worldwide Airport: 1. Paro, Bhutan; 1. Singapore Changi; 3. Hong Kong International; 4. Tokyo Narita 5. Keflavik, Reykjavik; 5. Seoul Incheon ; 7. Auckland 8. Vancouver 9. Munich 10. Amsterdam Schipol

Top Emerging Destination: 1. Sudan; 2. Greenland 3. Mongolia

Top City: Luang Prabang, Laos; 2. Kyoto, Japan 3. Siena, Italy

http://www.wanderlust.co.uk/magazine/awards/wanderlust-travel-awards/the-winners-2012

[MarcusUK]

I think they are all sponsored and biased!
I would rather look at flight reviews on Airlines and services, and after my own experience rate an Airline or a service.
I makes no influence with me what star or rating is given by a sponsor within an industry, where the revenues are all shared and it is really quite incestuous.
Over long periods of time, we know the Service standards of Asian Carriers, the High food standards on different carriers is far superior to others, ground services on some, and aircraft on others way ahead of others. This is what i tend to take notice of.

I would look at which aircraft is being used firstly for a route whatever Airline, the cabin and seat, balanced with its comforts, service, entertainment. Singapore for eg, have always had one of the most trusted and consistent world wide, and most would identify then=m as the best World Airline.
If they were given a 3 star tomrw it would not affect my percepetion of them.
It is all self fulfilling marketing and false PR in my view.

[FormerlyDoS]

Like Lugano Pirate, I don’t take any notice of these type of surveys, as I consider them all to suffer from one type of bias or another.

At an average of 110 sectors per year, I have my own ratings for the airlines I use, e.g.

BA – CE poor, CW good, F unpredictable, usually good cabin crew, often unhelpful ground service at LHR, aircraft often grubby

LH – SH Business poor, LH Business average, cabin crew professional, but often cold and service robotic, ground service variable, aircraft immaculate

KM – SH business excellent product, LH – n/a, cabin crew variable, from great to toe curlingly awful, ground service at Malta is usually very good, away is handling agent, aircraft kept clean and tidy

LX – SH business average, LH business is the best of the Europeans, cabin crew consistently professional and often warm, service is impeccable, ground service average, aircraft immaculate

EK – SH/LH business very poor on Malta-DXB route, old aircraft, 7 across on A330/340 in business, cabin crew consistently professional and provide good service, if somewhat robotic at times, aircraft kept clean and tidy. Better product from LHR.

EY- SH – in line with other Gulf carriers, good, LH (from LHR) excellent, great food, almost F class service, crew professionalism varies, but they try very hard and are pleasant, aircraft kept clean and tidy

Just my thoughts.

[Author]

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